That’s exactly what Socrates did in front of his judges, and he finished them off once and for all.

Let me add the appropriate soundtrack as well.

In 404 BC, the Athenians lost the Peloponnesian War, and for eight months they were ruled by the Thirty Tyrants, imposed upon them by the Spartans after their victory. After democracy was restored, the Athenians searched for a scapegoat to help them relax. And what did they think of? To target someone theoretically weak.

Socrates was a ragged-looking figure who held endless dialogues every day in Athens with the youth of his time. In other words, he didn’t give them lessons; he engaged in conversations. He spent all day trying to inspire young people to care about great values and virtues, not about money and material goods. Hmm, that reminds me of something today.

Thus, the wisest citizen of the city was accused of corrupting the youth and not worshipping the ancestral gods of the time (the Athenians were quite, if not very, religious), but instead introducing new ones. So, he was summoned to make a defense speech in court.

He was found guilty and sentenced to death by hemlock, while he himself counter-proposed as his penalty free meals at the Prytaneum for the rest of his life. This was a distinguished honor reserved for benefactors of the Athenian state. He was given the opportunity to flee, both before and after his trial, but he refused. After all, he was innocent—why should he run?

The most democratic city in history (theoretically) murdered its most worthy citizen. So, even back then, it was not a time for people who think. Today, I wonder: has a comparable Socrates been born, or will one be born? And if so, how would we treat him?

We thus have a striking case where democracy attacks, unable to tolerate criticism. Socrates is guilty of having expanded his mind and taught his discoveries to his students. This was the reason for his execution: the thirst for free thought, the pursuit of knowledge, and the questioning of social establishments.

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Montaigne’s Essays

I wouldn’t call it the best book, but it’s the book in which the author truly lives through the text. It feels like he’s speaking directly to you. So if I had to choose, it would be this one. It’s also huge, around 1,900 pages, and in many places you’ll agree, disagree, argue, or do whatever you’d do with a person over coffee.

Really, when I first opened it and read the early pages, it was like meeting someone who slowly became a friend, a best friend, everything. You learn everything about him, from what he ate to how he went to the toilet [when I say everything, I mean everything].

Especially during stressful periods, Montaigne was a rock, a helper, a companion.

At some point, I simply enjoyed putting on my favorite music from that time, John Coltrane & Duke Ellington, In A Sentimental Mood. Pure love.

I’d sit in the armchair, just read, converse with the book, and then go tell my wife what we’d “discussed,” where I’d disagreed, and so on. Crazy moments…

And just when you thought it was tiring you, because it jumps from topic to topic mercilessly, I realized something:

Through the Essays, Montaigne managed to turn ordinary, logically mundane life into art. It’s incredible how beautiful he presents all of this.

That’s also where I understood, or at least found, the level of self-knowledge I’ll try to reach (though probably never will). Montaigne shows us that we shouldn’t fear change; on the contrary, we should embrace it. One moment he’s a fanatical Epicurean, the next a Stoic, and he ends up as a devout Christian.

And that’s probably how it is, that’s how we all are. No single label can define any human being.

Most likely, if you ever start reading it, know that we’re talking about a book you’ll return to for a whole lifetime, and about a person you’ll probably come to regard as a friend (I hope).

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I believe it is a book about freedom, and ultimately about the cost of our choices.

Some sentences stay with you long after you finish a book. For me, this was one of those sentences.

The older I get, the more I believe Thoreau was not referring to poverty or unhappiness. He was pointing to something more subtle. A life that slowly takes shape around us until, one day, we realize we never consciously chose it. A life lived on autopilot.

This was another sentence that stayed with me: his answer wasn’t more productivity or ambition, but simplification. Not as deprivation, but as liberation. The removal of unnecessary burdens and the deliberate choice of what deserves to remain.

This may be the single most valuable idea in the book. Most things are not paid for with money. They are paid for with time, attention and energy.

Every purchase is also a decision about how we will spend a portion of our life.

Thoreau offers a different definition of wealth. A wealthy person is not necessarily the one who can acquire the most. A wealthy person is someone who depends on the fewest things.

Where I Agree

Freedom often increases as dependence decreases. Thoreau understood something that remains true today:

the more things we need to feel content, the more our lives depend on factors beyond our control.

The fewer things we need to feel content, the more freedom we preserve when circumstances inevitably change.

Where I Disagree

Thoreau withdrew from society for two years. Few of us have that option. Community, family, friendship, and responsibility are also part of a good life.

The challenge isn’t to abandon society but to remain independent while living within it.

Before acquiring anything new, ask yourself:

Not just money, but time, attention, and freedom. Because freedom is the first thing we give away.

Question to Consider

What in your life today costs more time, energy, and attention than the value it gives back?

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