Early one morning while he was serving in the Athenian army, a problem occurred to Socrates. So he stood still to think about it.
But it was difficult, so he just kept standing and thinking. By noon, people began to wonder what he was thinking about. After dinner, some of the other soldiers brought their bedding outside so they could relax and see how long he would stand there. Finally, at dawn the next day, Socrates prayed to the sun and walked away.
Socrates was one of the greatest of the Greek philosophers and was particularly interested in the nature of man and government.
He considered himself to be a gadfly, someone who pesters people into thinking by constantly asking them questions.
It was this criticism of the Athenian government and Socrates' contempt for Greek mythological religious ideas that led to his arrest.
He was tried and found guilty, and when given the opportunity to suggest a his own penalty, he suggested a tiny fine of 30 minas. The court was furious and condemned him to death.
"I am not angry with you, my judges," Socrates said. "You have done me no harm, although you did not mean to do me any good. The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our ways, I to die and you to live. Which of these is better, only God knows."
In 399 BC, at age 70, Socrates calmly drank a cup of deadly hemlock, walked around the cell until his legs began to feel heavy, then laid down and died.
