The Test of Power: How An Ancient Greek Tale Can Save You

imagine finding a ring that could make you completely invisible no consequences no Witnesses total freedom to do whatever you want what would you do with it before Lord of the Rings before any modern story about corrupting power there was an ancient tale that asked this exact question a story so powerful that philosophers have debated it even since it was told by history's most famous philosopher the movie Lord of the Rings made this type of story famous but this version is much much older this is the original and it predates its successes by centuries the original

story is Greek and has a famous Legend behind it the legend of the Ring of GES we're going to tell you the legend and by the end of this video you'll learn why this story is more relevant today than ever before and how you can use it to train yourself to overcome your own weaknesses but first the story it comes to us from Plato academics think it originated from Legends current in Greece at the time some people even think that due to similarities with Folk about mountains and dwarves and treasure from around the world it

may have been built around the seed of the experience of someone who really did find something mysterious in the ancient world but before we continue this story I need to warn you what happens next might change how you think about yourself because this isn't just a story about a magic ring it's about you me and every person who's ever been tempted by power the story of the Ring of GES goes like this in ancient Greece there lived a Shepherd a humble man scraping out a living Outdoors one day as he was making his rounds walking

across the mountain side with his sheep the ground started to shake it was an earthquake and it hit like a bomb the shepherd fell down and the Sheep scattered the earthquake shook everything and then stopped when it was over the shepherd got up and found he was unhe hurt he looked around to find his sheep and noticed something a hole had opened up in the size of the mountain a crack in the rock it was big enough for him to fit through he was curious what was on the inside of this mountain he climbed over

every day with his sheep so the shepherd hunched over and squeezed his body through the crack when he got to the other side he was shocked he was inside a tomb in the center there was a sculpture of a large bronze horse but the horse was huge much larger than anything that would fit a human after taking a moment to collect his breath and make sure no one else was around the shepherd approached the metal horse it didn't move so he climbed up the side of the horse and peaked inside what he saw inside shocked

him he was staring at the body of a skeletal giant the dead body of a warrior on one hand it sported a ring that caught his eye holding his breath he reached out to touch the body he could feel the ring he could even move it this was a man who'd spent his life slaving away for sheep and now he'd found something worth more coins than he would earn in a decade he pulled the ring off held up his hand and slipped the ring on and in that moment from one second to the next his

body went from being visible to gone he knew he was there he was looking right where his arm should be but his body and everything that he knew was there could not be seen this was no ordinary ring this magical ring was the Ring of gangis ultimately it tells us about ourselves what happened next Plato tells us that the next part of the story is a horror story the shepherd GES became a murderer GES probably started off slow going to places with other people like the Town Market noticing that no one could see him then

he gets an idea he uses the power of invisibility to sneak into the king's Palace he finds the queen this Invisible Man convinces here that he doesn't want to harm her he wants to do a deal GES convinces her that with his magical power they could be unstoppable he's broken into the Palace of after all and she can see that he's made himself invisible together they come up with a plan to kill the king he commits a terrible crime he kills the king he uses the Ring's power to remain invisible and assassinate him then with

the Queen's help he takes over the throne and becomes the king himself all because of one magical ring that brought ruin to the kingdom in which it was found glaucon tells this Tale in Plato's The Republic to argue that people only act justly because they have to he thinks that if people were given the power to act unjustly without consequences anyone would choose to act unjustly for profit why does Plato include this story because he wants us to think about the nature of morality he's interested in what we would do if we came into a

lot of power would we be good people we can think for ourselves and decide what is right but what would we do for us as stoics we have our answer a life well- lived is what we want to achieve the Ring of gayi story is a challenge that Socrates spends the Republic addressing with a theory of justice for Socrates Justice is a virtue of the Soul rather than as a social contract we follow to avoid punishment we can learn from him and from the wisdom of the ages we still have today so what would a

stoic do with the Ring of GES the answer lies in understanding what real power is real power comes not from controlling others but from mastering ourselves a stoic would recognize that the Ring's power of invisibility is in fact an ultimate test of character it's easy to act virtuously when others are watching when social pressure and consequences keep us in check but what about when no one can see us what about when we could do anything we want without getting caught this is where the real essence of stoic philosophy shines through a stoic understands that what

matters isn't what others can see but what we do the ring doesn't just make us invisible to others it makes our true character visible to ourselves GES used his Newfound power for personal gain for violence for taking what wasn't his but did this make him happy did it bring him peace in the long run as stoicism teaches that is not the way to happiness the story doesn't tell us about G's later life but we can imagine the cost of living with this Blood guilt every time he sat on his stolen Throne every time he wore

his crown he would know the truth he wasn't really a king he was a murderer who got lucky and if his Queen betrayed him wouldn't he deserve it there can be no rest and no peace when you choose the life of a villain a stoic would approach the Ring's power differently he would ask how can I maintain my Integrity even when no one would know if I didn't how can I use my power to help others even if no one sees it what is the true test here the power of the ring or my response

to that power we all face ring of G moments in our lives times when we could get away with something because no one would know maybe it's taking credit for someone else's work when they're not around to speak up maybe it's keeping quiet when we know something wrong is happening maybe it's the temptation to abuse power or authority when we think no one will punish us the ring represents any situation where we have power without accountability and in our modern world these situations are everywhere there are so many situations where people are figuratively invisible on

the internet behind a username in a company behind closed doors in private moments when we could choose to help or ignore someone in need and in the small daily choices we make when no one is looking so how do we prepare ourselves for these moments how do we build the strength to choose right even when we could temporarily get away with doing something wrong the stoics would suggest rehearsal just as we're doing now with the Ring of gui's story we can rehearse our response to power we can ask ourselves what would I do if I

found this ring what would my first thought be my second what would I do in the first hour the first day by thinking through these scenarios now we build the mental muscles we need for when real test comes because it will come maybe not in the form of a magic ring but in the form of opportunities to abuse power to take advantage to act without immediate consequences the real power isn't in being able to do whatever we want without getting caught the real power is in being able to do the right thing even when we

could get away with doing the wrong thing this is what it means to live a life well- lived this is what it means to be truly free you can never be free of consequences but we can be free of the need to hide who we really are and what we've done so next time you face your own ring of GES moment remember the true test isn't what you could do with the power you're given the true test is what you choose to do with it and that choice that moment of decision is where your real

character becomes visible even if you yourself are not but there's another level to the ring story an even deeper one the ring doesn't just grant power it reveals desire before GES ever put on the ring before he knew it would make him invisible he was already reaching for it he was already imagining how it would change his life think about that moment a Shepherd living a simple life suddenly confronted with something valuable something that could lift him out of his hard existence the Temptation began before the power did this reveals something crucial about how we

handle unexpected opportunities often our moral compass starts spinning before we even encounter the real test We Begin justifying rationalizing imagining what we deserve long before we're actually faced with a choice the stoics understood this they knew that the most dangerous moment isn't when we're faced with temptation it's in The Quiet Moments before when we're alone with our thoughts rehearsing our justifications telling ourselves stories about what we're owed this is why stoic practice emphasizes morning meditation that quiet time when we prepare ourselves for the day ahead because by the time the test comes it's often too

late to start building our defenses here's another aspect worth considering GES didn't earn the ring he found it like many windfalls in life inheritances lucky breaks privileged positions the power came to him by chance not Merit this raises an interesting question do we have a greater moral obligation when we receive power we haven't earned the stoics would argue yes when fortune favors us it creates a debt not to Fortune but to virtue the more we receive by Chance the more we owe to wisdom consider how different the story might have been if GES had spent

years studying the Arts of invisibility training his mind and spirit preparing himself for the responsibility of such power but he didn't like many who suddenly come into power he was unprepared for its weight there's an irony in The Ring of GUI story that's built into it in becoming invisible to others GES became more visible to himself every action he took every choice he made was witnessed by the one audience he couldn't escape his Consciousness this speaks to a fundamental truth about ethical Behavior the most important witness to our actions isn't Society or other people it's

ourselves we can hide from everyone else but we can't hide from the knowledge of what we've done and what we've done will eventually matter the stoics understood this deeply Marcus arelius writing in his private journals wasn't concerned with what others thought of him he was concerned with living up to his own standards even in moments when no one else would know when GIS discovered the Ring of invisibility in that ancient tomb he stood at a Crossroads while history tells us of the dark path he chose let us imagine how differently his story might have unfolded

had he embraced stoic principles this is the tale of another possible GES one who understood that true power lies not in controlling others but in mastering oneself in those first moments after slipping on the ring when his body vanished from sight this guyes felt the same Rush of possibility the same intoxicating sense of possibility but where the guyes we know immediately thought of personal gain our stoic GES paused to reflect remembering the wisdom passed down by philosophers that virtue is the only true good and that Justice must be practiced not for its rewards but for

its own sake his first action upon discovering his Newfound power was not to scheme or plot but to sit in quiet contemplation on the mountain side where he tended his sheep he considered the words that would later be echoed by Marcus aelius focus on doing the right thing the rest doesn't matter the ring had given him power without accountability but he understood that the greatest accountability comes from within as a Shepherd GIS knew his community he knew which families struggled to feed their children which elderly citizens needed care and which Merchants dealt dishonestly with their

customers with his power of invisibility he could observe and understand these problems even more deeply becoming a silent guardian of Justice rather than its subverter he began small true to the stoic principle of practical wisdom during Market days he would invisibly observe Merchants who were known to cheat their customers with false weights and measures rather than using this information for blackmail or personal gain he would leave Anonymous notes for the authorities giving evidence of Fraud and protecting the community's most vulnerable members when Bandits plagued the mountain passes GES used his invisibility to follow their move

movements marking their hideouts with signs that would lead the city's guards to them in times of drought guies would guide lost sheep back to their rightful owners leaving no trace of his Intervention when he discovered that the local grain Merchant was hoarding food during a shortage he didn't steal the grain but rather used his Invisible Presence to document the hoarding and ensure the authorities could address it justly but perhaps his greatest test came when he learned of a plot against the King the same situation that in the original tale led to the king's murder instead

of joining the conspirators or using the information for personal gain our stoic GES found ways to anonymously warn the king's loyal advisers preventing Bloodshed without seeking reward the ring gave him the power to take anything he wanted but this GES understood senica's wisdom that the greatest wealth lies in limiting our desires rather than expanding our possessions he continued to live simply using his powers not to accumulate wealth but to ensure Justice and protect those who couldn't protect themselves some nights sitting alone in his humble Shepherd's Hut GES would remove the ring and look at it

remembering epictetus's words freedom is not procured by a full enjoyment of what is desired but by controlling desire the ring had given him the freedom to act without consequence but he had found a greater Freedom the ability to act with virtue regardless of whether anyone would know years passed and while the gues of History became a king through murder and deceit our stoic gues remained a Shepherd though one who had transformed his community in countless small unseen ways he never sought credit for his Good Deeds embodying Marcus aurelius's teaching that virtue needs no audience when

Travelers pass through his village they would remark on how unusually peaceful and prosperous it seemed how the poor were cared for how Justice prevailed in its markets and courts none knew that their Good Fortune stemmed from a humble Shepherd who had chosen to use great power with great responsibility as he grew older GES began to understand that the Ring's True Value lay not in its power to make him invisible but in how it had made his character visible to himself every choice to use his power for good rather than personal gain had strengthened his commitment

to Virtue proving Socrates truth that Justice is valuable for its own sake not merely for its consequences this imagined tale of GES shows us that power even absolute power doesn't have to corrupt absolutely when Guided by stoic principles Justice self-control wisdom and courage even the most extraordinary abilities can become tools for positive change rather than instruments of Destruction the choice always lies not in what we can do but in who we choose to be today we have our societal versions of a device that turns us invisible thanks to technology and the society's development we have

anonymity at scale the internet corporate structures complex Financial systems all these create opportunities to act without direct accountability but here's where we can learn from The Ring of GES the real danger isn't in having power without accountability the real danger is in believing that accountability only comes from others consider these scenarios what would you do when you find a flaw in a system that could be exploited what would you do when you can cut Corners in a way that could be dangerous but would never be detected each of these is a ring of GES moment

each is a test not of our fear of consequences but of our understanding of what truly matters so how do we prepare for these moments how do we build the strength to remain ethical even when we could get away with being otherwise here are some practical exercises one The Daily Review start each day by asking what situations might I face today where I could choose between right and easy then at day's end review your choices be your own witness two the power audit regularly assess the powers you already have your knowledge your position your power

how are you using them how could you use them better the invisibility test before making any decision ask yourself would I make the same choice if everyone could see me if no one could see me the answer should be the same the Legacy question consider not just what you could do with power but what story you're writing about yourself what tale will your choices tell finally consider doing this challenge this week notice your invisible moments those times when you could cut Corners take advantage or act selfishly without anyone knowing keep track of these moments by

writing them down what did you choose how did it feel how in line are they with these stoic principles keep it up and you can transform how you think about power and choice in your own life the Ring of gyes isn't just a story about power it's a story about choice and every day in ways large and small we make choices about how to use whatever power we have remember true power isn't in controlling others or evading consequences true power is in controlling ourselves in choosing right over easy in being able to look at ourselves

in the mirror and know that we've lived up to our own standards the next time you face a moment of unseen power remember gyes he chose poorly you can do better remember that the real test isn't what you could do with power the real test is who you choose to be when you have it finally if you found value in this video please give it a like it really helps us out and keeps this channel going it makes a world of difference and we greatly appreciate it if you want to share your thoughts leave a

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