Under the scorching sun of Athens, an old man praised as the wisest in human history was walking along the road.

His name was Socrates. However, what he demonstrated that day was not merely a mere listing of knowledge, but a wondrous moment proving where 'human dignity' comes from.

Thump! A dull thud shattered the silence.

The incident happened in an instant.

A man appeared behind Socrates as he was taking a peaceful stroll.

He was a cynical figure who had long harbied resentment toward Socrates's biting remarks and barrage of questions.

The man struck Socrates's back violently with a thick stick he held in his hand.

"Take this, you arrogant old geezer!"

It was a cowardly attack. Socrates staggered, and the surrounding air froze in an instant. The culprit let out a vile laugh and fled down an alley. The friend walking with Socrates was furious. "Good heavens, who dares! Socrates, stay still. I will catch that bastard and pay him back in kind!" The friend's anger seemed justified. His logic was that since he had been unjustly beaten, justice had to be served. However, at that moment, Socrates, who had stood up brushing the dust off his clothes, defied everyone's expectations with his reaction. "Are you out of your mind? Why aren't you chasing that man!" Socrates quietly reached out and stopped the friend, who was fuming as he watched the fleeing man's retreating figure.

His expression was surprisingly serene. He wore a smile that made it impossible to tell whether it was due to pain or fear.

His friend shouted. "No, are you afraid of that fellow? Are you going to just stand by and take it like this, you who are called the Wise of Athens?"

Socrates slowly opened his mouth.

This conversation would later become a legendary passage that humanity would recite whenever it was swept up in a vortex of emotion.

"Calm down, friend. I will ask you just one thing.

Just because a donkey kicked you while you were walking down the street, would you kick a donkey in return?"

His friend was stunned.

A donkey? The one who had just struck Socrates was undeniably a 'person'. However, Socrates' insight pierced through that point. The core message Socrates wanted to convey is this: If you respond with low-level behavior just because the other person has acted low-level, you will eventually become that same level. Block the contagion of emotions: Although the man wielded a stick, what he truly wanted to convey to Socrates was the poison of 'anger' and 'hatred.' If Socrates had chased after him in anger, he would have been walking into the trap the man had set for himself. Silence that preserves dignity: To Socrates, that man was no different from a beast that had lost its reason—that is, a donkey.

Getting angry at a beast's kick is unbefitting of human dignity.

We encounter countless 'donkeys' in our daily lives.

Online trolls, rude bosses, people picking fights on the street... Each time, we stand at a crossroads of choice.

Will I kick back, or will I prove that I am human?

This is not simply textbook-like talk about "patience is victory." This is a story about 'control.'

Although Socrates was struck in the back, his soul was not damaged even an inch.

He remained the master of Athens, and the master of his own mind.