Over the many millennia of the existence of people on earth, human culture has accumulated rich knowledge in the field of the peculiarities of relationships between members of society. As one of the eastern sages said, “It’s better to starve than eat what’s horrible, ” it’s better to be alone than to communicate with the unworthy.
Consider today this aphorism itself and the fate of its author.
Who said these words?
The words “It’s better to starve than eat what’s horrible”, “it’s better to be alone than among unequal people” belong to the pen of the famous oriental poet Omar Khayyam.
He was originally from Persia, lived about a thousand years ago, glorified himself as a famous mathematician and astronomer. Throughout his life, Omar Khayyam wrote short quatrains called rubyas.
In these verses he expressed his philosophy of life. Being a poet of Muslim culture, he did not share part of the doctrinal provisions of this religion: he was skeptical of the divine plan of Allah, indulged in pessimism, observing before him examples of injustice and vice.
Philosophy of the eastern poet
In his life position, he is most likely close to Renaissance figures, who also sought with their whole lives to prove the right of a person to independently build their own destiny and change the world around them.
As a matter of fact, Omar Khayyam’s poems received a peculiar “rebirth” in the Western world, when one of the western poets began to translate them into English the century before last. Due to the interest in the personality of the distant Persian author, his mathematical and astronomical achievements were rediscovered, so today this name is known to any educated lover of literature.
“It’s better to starve than eat what’s horrible”: is it better, alone? What does this phrase mean?
The little ruby of O. Khayyam, which indicates that you need to carefully choose your circle of friends, has been the subject of controversy for quite some time. After all, man is a social being, he lives in communication with his own kind, therefore often loneliness is unbearable for him.
Why does the poet of antiquity offer solitude as a saving island of peace for each of us?
We will try to answer this question.
Note that this poem (as a work of a true philosopher) contains a logical dilemma: “to be with anyone” or “to be alone” (we quote the last line of the poem: “Better be alone than with anyone”).
Of course, the alternative is worthy: how to communicate with those who will never understand and appreciate you, is it better to stay in silence and reflection? After all, this option will be the best for everyone, right?
Sometimes O. Khayyam is accused of excessive arrogance, because his phrase: “It’s better to starve than eat what’s horrible” doesn’t do anyone better. What? Does the poet call us to refrain from food?
No, he most likely teaches us food intelligibility (which is generally very relevant for us, people of the 21st century). It’s better to starve than eat GMO foods, better to refrain from eating than to eat from McDonald's.
In food and in the choice of friends you need to be choosy, then serious diseases will not wait for you and people who are near you will not betray you in difficult times.
The poet is still right. And this is wisdom coming from the depths of centuries.
