Lysis made a mistake and was thrown out by his family. He is currently staying at a friends house and he saw Socrates walking to go home so he chases him and started talking.
Lysis: I have a friend but I’m still lonely, what should I do Socrates
Socrates: You don’t love your friend?
Lysis: Surely I do. But I still must bear everything that happens to me on my own – my friend couldn’t help me bear the burden of consequences. When something goes wrong, I feel too weak to bare them and just feel like giving up on life.
Socrates: This is why grown ups are wiser than young people. They have much more mistakes to bear and they get used to it. Do you want to be a virtuous person?
Lysis: I just want to be happy.
Socrates: A happy person is a virtuous person.
Lysis: Does believing in the gods make me virtuous?
Socrate: It doesn’t make you virtuous. If you are a virtuous person, whatever you do will be virtuous. Piety will be one of your traits.
Lysis: I’m not pious to the gods, I make no offerings. There is no way I could be a virtuous person? What should I do to be a better person?
Socrates: You must let reason dominate your being. Be a philosopher.
Lysis: But not all philosophers are virtuous.
Socrates: They are doing it wrong, they worry about nothing but rhetorics.
Lysis: But not all philosophers have friends.
Socrates: Virtuouse people attract friends. If you are doing philosophy right, you naturally attract friend.
Lysis: But friends are those who share emotions – and philosophers are supposed to let reason dominate their emotions. Subdue them.
Socrates: Those are not friends then.
Lysis: no they are not.
Socrates: we don’t know what friends are.
Lysis: No we don’t but that doesn’t make me less lonely.
Socrates: Does talking to me makes you less lonely?
Lysis: Yes.
Socrates: Then talk.
Lysis: But talking is not what I can do for a living.
Socrates: Yes you can. If you become a philosopher, you can talk for your basic needs.
Lysis: But I have other desires than basic needs.
Socrates: Do you think a philosopher will desire more than basic needs?
Lysis: No. But I don’t want to be homeless.
Socrates: You are in fact homeless. Not everyone can be successful.
Lysis: Why not me!
Socrates: I need to go home now as it’s time. I’m sure your family will take you back in a few days.
Socrates left and Lysis sat on the ground and cried. He sat there until daybreak and died. He was like a donkey torn in two ways. He wanted to succeed and but he decided that that’s not possible anymore. Despite that he’s alone he still wanted to be happy. He wanted to be a philosopher but he still wanted to succeed. He does not know what to choose and died choosing.
We are cursed to have the human souls.
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