“Opposition brings concord: Out of discord comes the fairest harmony.”
“Heraclitus of Ephesus (fl. 500-480 BC), also known as "the Riddler" and "the Obscure," was the eldest son of a leading aristocratic family” (Beavers). Heraclitus didn’t take on any disciples, and he avoided involving himself in politics. He recorded his philosophies in a book, which appealed to many people and started a following. Scholars have nothing but historical quotation’s and references of the books existence. “Owing to its obscurity, the book engendered many anecdotes about its author, most of them intending to malign him, and so it is difficult to know much about his life and character that is reliable. It is equally difficult to discern the details of his true thought” (Beavers).
Heraclitus’s words have a simple and powerful meaning. The quote means people will work together when overcoming a common goal or enemy and the more something forces them apart the greater they will want to hold together. It’s possible; he wrote these works to avoid directly involving himself in politics, using literature to inspire harmony in men who governed during such a chaotic time. The second half of this quote means that discord must give way to harmony. Chaos can’t sustain itself this causes harmony. Harmony fades overtime becoming chaos. The cycle of discord and harmony is a natural law of balance.
In life, we often find the best allies in those who share similar problems with our own. School is a great place to find friends, common frustrations help bridge differences between people. I have made more than one fast friend facing a common problem.
Works Cited
Beavers, Anthony F. "Heraclitus of Ephesus." Miscellaneous Encyclopedia Articles. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2016. <http://faculty.evansville.edu/tb2/trip/heraclitus.htm>.