Plato is dear to me but dearer still is truth.
I am a military police officer and I have served on two deployments my first was to Iraq in a medical unit and my second deployment was to Kuwait as a military police platoon leader.
I think as a rifle platoon and company commander your view is about 1 000 meters in front of you and you hope you can cover that ground and not have to back up and give it up again.
With copious evidence ranging from Plato's haughtiness to Beethoven's tirades we may conclude that the most brilliant people of history tend to be a prickly lot.
The most terrible job in warfare is to be a second lieutenant leading a platoon when you are on the battlefield.
Walking is magic. Can't recommend it highly enough. I read that Plato and Aristotle did much of their brilliant thinking together while ambulating. The movement the meditation the health of the blood pumping and the rhythm of footsteps...this is a primal way to connect with one's deeper self.
We had times in '66 and '67 when we would pick up a platoon of privates out of the receiving barracks the week before we even graduated the platoon that we were on!
Plato's philosophy is a dignified preface to future religion.
People instantly assume you can't have a platonic friendship with someone of the opposite sex. I think this may be specific to L.A. - or America.
Show me a genuine case of platonic friendship and I shall show you two old or homely faces.