I got lucky, I know. Any other master would have whipped me. But my dominus is a kind man: he even gave me this name, Diòtima.
I bet you have never heard that, eh? But Dio’tima was Socrates’ teacher, one of the greatest philosophers in ancient times. The usual story: everyone knows Socrates, but no one remembers the woman who taught him everything!
And yes, a good teacher can change your life. I know what I am talking about. When the master decided to educate me, he told his freedman Philocles to teach me Greek. I spent hours tracing the letters of the alphabet in wax. My fingers sore and burnt after working in the kitchens, so I would drop the stylus under the table. I wanted to throw the tablet at the wall in anger and frustration! But Philocles never lost his patience. He would just smile. He would say, “Let’s try again. The drop of water makes holes in stone!”
I was sure I would never make it… but then, suddenly, a miracle happened: the letters stopped looking like meaningless scribbles, and chained together they made words, and the words told me a story. I could read Greek!
I was no longer just a kitchen slave; I was Dio’tima the Epicurean, a free spirit….
I am sure that you also have a special teacher in your heart, someone who could help you see the world with new eyes. Or maybe you have yet to meet him or her. Don’t be in a hurry: it will be the most exciting meeting in your life.
But there are more than flesh and blood teachers: others can delight us with words on paper, through books. My second teacher was Epicurus.
He lived in Greece hundreds of years ago. He was a special man: he welcomed into his garden anyone who wanted to listen to his lectures, even courtesans and slaves. Remember, at the time in Greece, women could hardly put their noses outside the house…
But in Epicurus’ garden, everyone felt equal: no longer masters and slaves, just men and women, just human beings in search of happiness.
Isn’t that beautiful? Now you understand why I fell in love with Epicurean philosophy!