Way of the Peaceful Warrior is basically the story of a mysterious old man, Socrates, mentoring a young athlete, Dan, into taking a Zen approach to life. Where does admiration fit in? Well, a teacher is a lot more persuasive if he has charisma, and Socrates is certainly a unique fellow.
Soon enough, Dan admires him enormously. But does that admiration maybe make Dan a bit biased toward Socrates' philosophy? Or are Socrates' teachings independent of the man himself? Or do they need to be separated at all? Read and decide.
Questions About Admiration
- What does Dan admire about Socrates? How do those qualities influence Dan to follow the path Socrates recommends?
- How does his experience going through the gate change Dan's understanding of where Socrates belongs in his life?
- Do characters in the book besides Dan admire Socrates? If so, how do they show it, and what is the effect of their admiration for him on Dan?
Chew on This
Socrates' teachings are valuable apart from his personality; it's not Dan's admiration of him that leads the youth to a better life.
You can't separate Socrates' teachings from the man; without him to admire, Dan would not have been able to find a better life.