Plato
by Isabella Poschmann
"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy is when men are afraid of the light.'
Plato is trying to say that it is okay for a child to be afraid of what he does not know, but it is sad for a more mature individual (adult) to be scared of what he could know. The tragedy is an adult is too afraid to expand his horizons. By not wanting to learn more about life, just because he is scared of what the information may hold, Plato thinks of that as truly a tragedy, because everyone should want to learn more about their lives.
Plato was a wise philosopher and believed that people should want to learn more about their experiences, and he looks between the lines of life. He thinks deeply and accepts children who are afraid of the unknown, but cannot accept adults who are afraid of potential opportunities.
Ancient Greek humanism, and society are reflected in Plato's statement. In Ancient Greece, art, literature, and philosophy were big parts of humanism. Some people died forming Greek culture; Socrates was sentenced to death for practicing philosophy. These pioneers of humanism were not "afraid of the light." Similarly, in Ancient Greek society, men were looked down upon for not going to fight in a war. They fought bravely for their city-states, and were courageous on their outlook; they weren't worried about dying, they were hopeful about coming home a hero. They weren't afraid of the dark or light.