Haemon and His Wisdom

 “It is no weakness for the wisest man

To learn when he is wrong, know when to yield”

-Haemon

            In this part of the text, Haemon talks with his father, Creon, about sentencing Antigone to death. Haemon’s entire speech is brilliant and discusses the importance of wisdom and how “man’s wisdom is the gift of heaven” (144). Just as creation is a gift from heaven, the ability to formulate wisdom is also a gift. Without pondering the world and observing mankind, no man could grasp the knowledge necessary to be wise. Moreover, this quote also reveals the wisdom of Haemon and his respectable character. He courteously stands up against his father and fights for his love’s life. Likewise, Haemon points out another very important factor of wisdom; a “wise man” understands his wrongdoings and works towards fixing them. Haemon’s speech furthers the characterization of Creon and display Creon’s faults. Through this excerpt the audience can infer the prideful nature of Creon because of his inability to identify his mistake. Creon does not ask for help or guidance which ultimately leads to his downfall in the end.

            I love this quote! I believe it still correlates to society today when people are too prideful to ask questions. I know that I sometimes don’t want to recognize my own faults and am too fearful to ask for help. Also, this quote really stuck out to me because of the respectable manor that Haemon says it to his father. The wisdom of Haemon and his character shines through during this passage and helps me to see the importance of humility. For example, in my family I usually act as the mediator and my sisters continually tell me I am way more mature than my age and it blows them away to see my “wisdom,” (as they call it...I’m not so sure I agree with them). But I struggle with asking for help during my hardships. Even times when I complain about things I rarely ask for help because I don’t want people to think I’m weak and can’t control my own situations. Yes, if I’m having a bad day I won’t hide it but I don’t like to talk about situations that will hurt my pride. That is why this quote really spoke to me; it reminded me that even the greatest and wisest men alive need help and ultimately the true help we need comes from God. It is all a matter of releasing your pride and being willing to accept your faults in order to become wise.

Unscrambling Mere Christianity

"To love and admire anything outside yourself is to take one step away from utter spiritual ruin; though we shall not be well so long as we love and admire anything more than we love and admire God" C. S. Lewis

In this quote Lewis discusses the importance of selflessness. He continues his ideas of Pride, how it thrives off of competition and power, and puts it into perspective for us. He reveals that "pride may act as a check on vanity." However, Lewis explains that not all pride is evil. It all depends on how we use the word pride; Lewis states that "the phrase 'is proud of' means ''has a warm-hearted admiration for'. Such admiration is, of course, very far from being a sin." Lewis analyzes the restrictions we must put on our pride in order to direct our path to follow God's will. Therefore, he encourages reaching out toward others and placing them first; along with realizing that God is the ultimate prize. There is no hope in idolatry, which is what thrives when we place ourselves or other items ahead of God.

I agree with what C.S. Lewis says. Pride thrives off of our own selfish feelings. It is because of our inner desires that we become prideful which then leads us toward the path of destruction. The way that Lewis explains pride is brilliant. Yet, I love the simplicity in this quote. There is no complex way to get off the path of destruction. Lewis just gives us simple little steps. In order to rid ourselves of our pride we must first acknowledge those around us. I agree that we are not fully able to love God unless we can first love our neighbors. We may not always see or understand the way God works, which is why i think it is important to love those around us. If we can handle their complexity then we will ultimately be able to love God to an even deeper extent. The greatest result in a conscious love for others, especially God, is a happy life that brings glory to our Creator.

Just for kicks :)