Most people love a good mystery. People are fascinated with, and remember Amelia Earhart because her aircraft disappeared never to be found again. People are also fascinated with dinosaurs because they are extinct. There are many articles and books on Atlantis because it too disappeared.
But what do you know about Atlantis?
In Plato’s dialogue, Timaeus, the key speakers Socrates, Timaeus, Hermocrates, and Critias – Greek philosophers – discuss the nature of the physical world and human beings. Close to the start of the dialogue they mention Atlantis.
“The spot of earth which the goddess chose had the best of climates, and produced the wisest men; in no other was she herself, the philosopher and warrior goddess, so likely to have votaries. And there you dwelt as became the children of the gods, excelling all men in virtue, and many famous actions are recorded of you. The most famous of them all was the overthrow of the island of Atlantis. This great island lay over against the Pillars of Heracles, in extent greater than Libya and Asia put together, and was the passage to other islands and to a great ocean of which the Mediterranean Sea was only the harbour; and within the Pillars the empire of Atlantis reached in Europe to Tyrrhenia and in Libya to Egypt. This mighty power was arrayed against Egypt and Hellas and all the countries bordering on the Mediterranean. Then your city did bravely, and won renown over the whole earth. For at the peril of her own existence, and when the other Hellenes had deserted her, she repelled the invader, and of her own accord gave liberty to all the nations within the Pillars. A little while afterwards there were great earthquakes and floods, and your warrior race all sank into the earth; and the great island of Atlantis also disappeared in the sea.”
Over the years there has been debate about whether or not Atlantis really existed, and where it was located, but does that really matter? Was Atlantis even real? Each of us suffers many losses in our life. And things disappear from our lives as well. However, the best is yet to come. What if we stopped focusing on what was, and instead focus on what is, and what might be, how much more would we accomplish in life if we moved in that direction?
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Author Bio: Avil Beckford, an expert interviewer, entrepreneur and published author is passionate about books and professional development, and that's why she founded The Invisible Mentor and the Virtual Literary World Tour to give you your ideal mentors virtually in the palm of your hands by offering book reviews and book summaries, biographies of wise people and interviews of successful people.
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Further Reading
- Has the real lost city of Atlantis finally been found… buried under mud flats in Spain?
- History – The Lost City of Atlantis Lost city of Atlantis, swamped by tsunami, may be found
- Lost city of Atlantis found on Google Earth?
- The Lost City of Atlantis The Lost Continent: Atlantis
Image Credit: Wikipedia
