Friday, September 1, 2017

Heraclitus was an old man

To Heraclitus who says,
All things pass and nothing stays
Could I not run ahead?
And stepping in the river,
Find the shoe I lost


Heraclitus of Ephesus was really not so old, 60 years old to be precise when he died. Unless, one considers the average life expectancy in ancient Greece was 25, and that Heraclitus was wise beyond his years, having written on topics diverse as nature, logic, learning, and human affairs.

Then we may conclude that he lived to a ripe old age, having learned that all things pass and nothing stays.

Raphael's School of Athens, Heraclitus sits in the foreground, apart from the others with his elbow on a box

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