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

On the road again

St. Augustine was not always an old man.

He was born in the year 354 in Tagaste, the Roman province of Numidia in North Africa. As a youth, he was known for living the good life.

the good life in Montana

After studying in Rome and Milan and after converting to Christianity, he retired to the monastic life in his native village. He was then called to become a priest and moved to the city of Hippo. In time he became bishop, and over the course of 35 years traveled to various councils in Carthage and North Africa. The journey from Hippo to Carthage was a journey of nine days.  One traveled by donkey or on foot,  wearing sandals over dusty roads along a rugged coastline where robbers lay in wait.

North Africa, coast line

In his 75 years on this earth, St. Augustine produced over two hundred books and nearly a thousand sermons, letters, and other works. But he never forgot the importance of travel and meeting other people.

St. Augustine has many quotes, of which I will quote one:

Hope has two beautiful daughters, whose names are anger and courage.  Anger is the way things are, and courage the desire to see that they do not remain as they are.

When asked why he left his studies, he replied, “The world is a great book. None study the book so much as the traveler; they that stay at home read only one page, and never know the joy of the journey.”

The old man is on the road again. This time in Montana, looking for answers, but more importantly looking for hope.