Who sat in the barrel. Diogenes of Sinope and his philosophy

A philosopher who lived in a barrel and was distinguished by a cynical attitude towards others - this is Diogenes’ reputation, which he gladly supported. Shocking or loyalty to the dogmas of his own teaching - what did the nature of this ancient Greek sage strive for?

Fraudster or Cynic philosopher?

In any case, there is no doubt that Diogenes really existed.
He was apparently born in 412 in the city of Sinope into the family of the money changer Hykesias. Apparently, Diogenes and his father were involved in some scandal involving counterfeiting of coins or other financial fraud. As a result, the future philosopher was expelled from the city. For some time, Diogenes was looking for a calling in life, until at a certain point he met Antisthenes, a philosopher who would become a teacher and role model for Diogenes. These two names went down in history as the founders of Cynicism, a doctrine based in part on the philosophy of Socrates.

Antisthenes, a student of Socrates, and after him Diogenes, preached simplification of life to the point of asceticism, calling for getting rid of everything unnecessary and useless. Philosophers not only avoided luxury - they reduced the number of things they owned to just a few: a cloak that was worn in any weather; a staff that could be used when walking and to protect against attack; a bag in which alms were put. The image of a scientist-philosopher, with a beard, a bag, a staff and a cloak, used in art for many centuries, was originally brought to life by Antisthenes and Diogenes. They are also considered the first cosmopolitans - citizens of the world.

In addition to asceticism, the Cynics proclaimed a refusal to follow dogmas - including religious and cultural ones, striving for autarky - a completely independent existence.

Antisthenes preached his teachings on the Athenian hill of Cynosarges, perhaps hence the name of this school of philosophy - Cynicism. According to another version, the “cynics” took their name from the Greek “kion” - dog: philosophers took the habits of this particular animal as a model of correct life: one should turn to nature and simplicity, despise conventions, defend oneself and one’s way of life.

Marginal or ascetic?

Diogenes actually made his home in a vessel - but not in a barrel in the usual sense of the word, but in a large, human-sized amphora - a pithos. Pithos was widely used by the Greeks to store wine, olive oil, grain and salted fish. Diogenes chose the main square of Athens, the agora, as his habitat, becoming a kind of landmark of the city. He used to eat in public - which in ancient Greek society was considered indecent, and the philosopher violated other norms of behavior willingly and with pleasure from the effect produced. A deliberate desire for marginal behavior created a unique reputation for Diogenes for millennia, and in modern psychiatry there is Diogenes syndrome - a disease associated, among other things, with an extremely disdainful attitude towards oneself and a lack of shame.

Short stories from the life of Diogenes are contained in the books of his namesake, Diogenes Laertius, and this is perhaps the only source of information about the philosopher. So, according to these anecdotal stories, the cynic loved to light a candle-lantern in broad daylight and go wandering around the city in search of a Man and, as a rule, did not find him. The description of man given by Plato - “a creature with two legs without feathers” - Diogenes ridiculed by showing a plucked rooster, “a man according to Plato.” Plato did not remain in debt, calling Diogenes “Socrates out of his mind.”

In his quest for minimalism, the philosopher continuously improved, and once he saw a boy drinking water, scooping it up by the handful, he threw his cup out of his bag. And the other boy, the one who ate the soup from the eaten loaf of bread, prompted Diogenes to get rid of the bowl.

Slave or free man?

According to the stories that have been preserved about Diogenes, he happened to be a slave for some time to a certain Xeniades, who, according to different versions, either freed the philosopher immediately, paying for his mentoring of his two sons, or left him to live in his house as a family member.

Obviously, most of Diogenes’ life was spent in Athens, but there is evidence of his life in Corinth, where Xeniades was from - life in a “barrel”, which Diogenes did not even think of giving up.
When the commander Alexander the Great visited the philosopher, he ordered him to leave - “ you're blocking the sun for me" By the way, according to Laertius, Diogenes and Alexander died on the same day - it was June 10, 323 BC. According to some reports, before his death the philosopher ordered that he be buried face down.

Diogenes, in the full sense of the word, is the classic embodiment of a cynic. Such a bright personality could not help but inspire his contemporaries and descendants to create works of art. Even the occasional mention of the name of a Cynic philosopher, such as the Diogenes Club in Doyle's stories, adds an intriguing flavor to the story.

Who brought him fame, lived more than two thousand years ago. He had his own idea of ​​life, which he saw in simplicity and getting rid of conventions and material wealth.

He is considered one of the brightest representatives of the Cynic school. He preferred to live like a dog, which needs a place to sleep and food to be happy. He chose a vessel as his home. This act later became the basis of a famous aphorism.

What is known about the life of the thinker? Did Diogenes sleep in a real barrel? What does the expression “Barrel of Diogenes” mean? You can find out about this in the article.

General information about Diogenes of Sinope

All known information about the philosopher has reached our days from the stories of an ancient writer who lived in the third century. By this time, more than five hundred years have passed since his death, so it is quite difficult to hope for the authenticity of the information.

Diogenes was born, living in a barrel, around 412 BC. e. It is known that he was the son of a money changer. One day he asked the oracle what he should do. The answer was the phrase: “Reassessment of values.” The man decided that he needed to start minting coins, but then he realized that his calling was in philosophy.

The Thinker joined Antisthenes in Athens. At first he even swung a stick at him, to which Diogenes stuck his head out and said that Antisthenes could not find a stick that could drive him away. From that time on, he became a student of Antisthenes and began to lead the simplest way of life. He arranged his home in an interesting way, which led to the emergence of the phraseology that Diogenes slept in a barrel. His home was located near the Athenian agora - the city square, which was the center of secular and public life of that time.

The ancient Greek philosopher was a student of Antisthenes and a prominent representative of the Cynic school. The essence of the teaching was that in order to achieve the common good, people should live “like a dog.” This meant living in simplicity, despising conventions, being able to defend the chosen way of life, being faithful, brave and grateful.

Asceticism

The philosopher was a supporter of asceticism. He considered the ideal of this way of life to be the behavior of mice, who were not afraid of anything, did not strive for anything. The Thinker strove to achieve the ideal in his life. That's why Diogenes slept in a barrel. Instead of a bed, he used a cloak, and the only things he had were a staff and a bag.

Being an old man, he noticed how the boy drank from a handful of water. This greatly upset the thinker, who immediately threw the cup out of his bag. At the same time, he said that the boy was able to surpass him in simplicity. He also threw away his bowl when he witnessed how another boy managed to eat lentil soup from a piece of eaten bread.

Aphorism with a barrel

The whole point of the representatives of the Cynic school was not to depend on material wealth, to become free from them. The house was also a certain luxury, so Diogenes, whose barrel made him famous, decided to rid himself of this material excess.

In an allegorical sense, the famous phraseological unit means voluntary isolation from the outside world. Diogenes, whose barrel became his home, freed himself from generally accepted benefits and prejudices. In this way he made his life simple and free.

Was there a barrel?

Diogenes, whose barrel haunts many to this day, actually lived in pithos. According to the results of archaeological excavations on the territory of Ancient Greece, there were no barrels in our understanding.

The Athenians used large (man-sized) clay vessels instead. They stored grain, wine, and oil in them.

It was in such a pithos that a philosopher could live. It was enough to place the vessel horizontally in order to sleep in it, covered with a cloak. The thinker could spend the rest of the time outside the vessel, on the street. For hygienic needs at that time, everyone used public baths and toilets, so Diogenes may indeed have had no need for a home.

One day the children broke the pithos in which Diogenes lived. The inhabitants of Athens eventually provided him with housing in the form of a new one. This is how the thinker lived until Macedonia decided to capture Athens.

Last period of life

Diogenes was a participant in the Battle of Chaeronea, which took place in 338 BC. e. between Macedonia and Athens and Thebes. The forces of the parties were almost equal, but the troops of Philip II and Alexander the Great defeated the army of the Greek city-states.

The thinker, like many Athenians, was captured by the Macedonians. He was sold from the slave market to a certain Xeniadus. The owner of the new slave bought him as a tutor for his children. The Athenian philosopher taught them horse riding, history, Greek poetry, and throwing darts.

There is a story that when he had the opportunity to turn to Alexander the Great with a request, he only asked him not to block the sun for him. As a true representative of the Cynic school, he did not need anything and saw his freedom in this, even when captured.

Death of a Philosopher

The philosopher died in 323 BC. e. It is believed that death came to him on the same day as to Alexander the Great. Before he died, he asked his master to bury him face down. A marble monument depicting a dog was erected at the thinker’s grave. An inscription was made on the monument that Diogenes was able to teach people to be content with what they have and showed a simple path in life.

Today, the memory of the philosopher is preserved by the well-known phraseology “Diogenes’ barrel.”

People's lives are filled with a wide variety of conventions and excesses. Man has forgotten his true nature and surrounded himself with absolutely unnecessary things. As a result of this, he entangled himself with thousands of norms, laws, and some rules. All this makes his life difficult and vain. Philosophers have always opposed this state of affairs. They urged people to abandon excesses and appreciate simple earthly joys. The very first who tried to show a true and correct life by personal example was Diogenes.

This is an ancient Greek sage who lived in 412-323 BC. e. He did not leave any writings or philosophical works. The memory of him was preserved only thanks to the stories of his contemporaries. All these stories were collected and systematized by the historian of philosophy Diogenes Laertius. And the founder of botany and zoology, the ancient Greek philosopher Theophastus, argued that insight came to Diogenes when, while still very young, he looked at a mouse running by. The future sage thought that the animal does not need bedding, is not afraid of the dark, and does not seek unnecessary pleasures. He behaves completely naturally. So why can't a person live exactly the same way?

Thus was born the philosophy of Diogenes. All his life the sage was content with little, the most necessary for life. The philosopher used his cloak not only to wear it, but also to sleep on it. He carried food in his bag, and any place was suitable for him to eat, sleep and talk. This amazing man built his home in a clay barrel. In Ancient Greece it was called "pithos" and was a clay vessel the size of a man. Grain, oil, and wine were stored in such large vessels. Well, our hero used it for housing.

The philosopher regularly tempered his body. In the summer he lay on the hot sand, and in the winter he pressed himself against marble statues covered with snow. Both in summer and winter he walked barefoot. Living in a barrel, the sage had nothing but a cup and bowl. But one day he saw the boy cup his hands into a handful and begin to drink water from the source.

Our hero exclaimed: “The boy turned out to be wiser than me, since he surpassed me in the simplicity and naturalness of life.” The cup was thrown away, and then it was the turn of the bowls, when another boy, in front of the philosopher’s eyes, began to eat lentil stew, pouring it into the crust of the bread.

The philosophy of Diogenes opposed reason to passions, and the laws of nature to judicial laws.. The sage often said that the gods gave people a very easy life. But they complicated it many times over, entangling themselves with far-fetched conventions and norms.

One day the philosopher caught the eye of a man who was being shoed by his slave. Looking at this, our hero remarked: “You would be immensely happy if they also wiped you. So cut off your hands, and then complete happiness will come.”

The sage approached the statues and asked them for alms. He was asked why he was doing this. And he replied: “I do this in order to accustom myself to refusal.” At the same time, he asked people for alms if he was hungry. One day, one of the passers-by asked why he should serve it to him. To which I received the answer: “If you give to others, then it will not be difficult for you to give to me. If you have never given before, then start with me.”

Once our hero was sitting in the square and talking about important things. But people did not listen to him and walked past. Then the philosopher began to imitate various bird voices. A crowd immediately gathered, and the sage began to shame her. He reproached people that for the sake of trifles they run away, abandoning everything, but for the sake of important things they do not want to stop and pass by.

He said that a person loves to compete with his own kind in the most unsightly matters, but never competes in the art of goodness and helping others. The sage was surprised that musicians tune the strings of the lyre, but cannot tune peace and tranquility in their souls. Rhetors teach to speak correctly, but are not able to teach to act correctly. People make sacrifices to the gods and ask for health and long life. But then they sit down at the banquet table and overeat to the detriment of their health.

The philosophy of Diogenes taught people simplicity, naturalness and harmony with the world around them. But few of the sage’s contemporaries followed his example. He died in the same year as Alexander the Great. They say that even in one day. This is very symbolic, since the great conqueror sought to enjoy all the blessings of life, and our hero called for completely abandoning them. Two extremes disappeared in one day, leaving people with a choice. But they chose not a philosopher, but a conqueror. Until today, humanity has not reconsidered its views, and therefore is steadily heading towards destruction.

Valery Krapivin

Diogenes November 19th, 2010

According to legend, the ancient Greek philosopher of the Cynic school (cynics or cynics) Diogenes of Sinope (c. 400-325 BC) lived in a barrel, wanting to show that a true philosopher, who knew the meaning of life, no longer needs material wealth, so important for ordinary people. The Cynics believed that the highest moral task of man is to limit his needs as much as possible and thus return to his “natural” state. Diogenes began to argue that in order to achieve the good one should live “like a dog,” that is, combining:

Simplicity of life, following one’s own nature, contempt for conventions;
the ability to firmly defend your way of life, stand up for yourself;
loyalty, courage, gratitude.

Thus, he sought to live on his own and called himself aplokion (ἁπλοκύων, true dog). From this word comes the name of the school, Cynicism. There is a legend that Diogenes, who considered the house an unnecessary luxury and had already moved into a barrel, nevertheless retained some utensils for himself, in particular a drinking ladle. But when he saw the boy drinking water from a handful, the philosopher refused the ladle.

The ancient writer Diogenes Laertius (3rd century) first spoke about Diogenes, who lived in a barrel.
“Barrel” is a conditional translation, since there were no barrels in their usual sense (wooden vessels tied with hoops) in Ancient Greece. As archaeological research shows, the only “barrel” in which Diogenes could live is a pithos - a large, sometimes as tall as a man, clay vessel for storing grain, wine and oil, similar to those terracotta pithos that were found by the English archaeologist Charles Evans in Western storeroom of the Knossos Palace (XVI century BC) in Crete.

Diogenes begged for alms from the statues “to accustom himself to refusal.”

* When Diogenes asked someone to borrow money, he did not say “give me money,” but “give me my money.”

* They say that when Alexander the Great came to Attica, he, of course, wanted to get to know the famous “outcast” like many others. Plutarch says that Alexander waited a long time for Diogenes himself to come to him to express his respect, but the philosopher spent his time calmly at home. Then Alexander himself decided to visit him.

He found Diogenes in Crania (in a gymnasium near Corinth) while he was basking in the sun. Alexander approached him and said: “I am the great King Alexander.” “And I,” answered Diogenes, “the dog Diogenes.” “And why do they call you a dog?” “Whoever throws a piece, I wag, whoever doesn’t throw, I bark, whoever is an evil person, I bite.” “Are you afraid of me?” - asked Alexander. “What are you,” asked Diogenes, “evil or good?” “Good,” he said. “And who is afraid of good?” Finally, Alexander said: “Ask me whatever you want.” “Move away, you are blocking the sun for me,” said Diogenes and continued to bask. On the way back, in response to the jokes of his friends who were making fun of the philosopher, Alexander allegedly even remarked: “If I were not Alexander, I would like to become Diogenes.” Ironically, Alexander died on the same day as Diogenes, June 10, 323 BC. e.

* When the Athenians were preparing for war with Philip of Macedon and bustle and excitement reigned in the city, Diogenes began to roll his barrel in which he lived through the streets. When asked why he was doing this, Diogenes replied: “Everyone is busy, so am I.”
* Diogenes said that grammarians study the disasters of Odysseus and do not know their own; musicians fret the strings of the lyre and cannot control their own temper; mathematicians follow the sun and moon, but do not see what is under their feet; rhetoricians teach to speak correctly and do not teach to act correctly; finally, misers scold money, but they themselves love it most of all.

* Diogenes’ lantern, with which he wandered through crowded places in broad daylight with the words “I’m looking for a Man,” became a textbook example back in antiquity.

Returning once from Olympia, when asked whether there were many people there, he replied: “There are a lot of people, but very few people.” And one day he went out into the square and shouted: “Hey, people, people!”; but when the people came running, they attacked him with a stick, saying: “I called people, not scoundrels.”

* When Plato gave a definition that had great success: “Man is an animal with two legs, devoid of feathers,” Diogenes plucked the rooster and brought it to his school, declaring: “Here is Plato’s man!” To which Plato was forced to add “... and with flat nails” to his definition.

* One day Diogenes came to a lecture with Anaximenes of Lampsacus, sat in the back rows, took a fish out of a bag and raised it above his head. First one listener turned around and began to look at the fish, then another, then almost everyone. Anaximenes was indignant: “You ruined my lecture!” “But what is a lecture worth,” said Diogenes, “if some salted fish upset your reasoning?”

* When asked which wine tastes better for him to drink, he answered: “Someone else’s.”

Monument to Diogenes in Sinope (modern Türkiye)

* Treat nobles like fire; don't stand too close or too far from them.

* When extending your hand to friends, do not clench your fingers into a fist.

* Poverty itself paves the way to philosophy; What philosophy tries to convince in words, poverty forces us to implement in practice.

* The backbiter is the most fierce of wild beasts; The flatterer is the most dangerous of tame animals.

* Philosophy and medicine have made man the most intelligent of animals; fortune telling and astrology - the craziest; superstition and despotism - the most unfortunate.

* Those who keep animals must recognize that they serve the animals rather than the animals serving them.

* Death is not evil, for there is no dishonor in it.

* Philosophy gives you readiness for any turn of fate.

* I am a citizen of the world.

* If there is no pleasure in life, then there must be at least some meaning.

To Diogenes sitting by the barrel
The Ruler of the world, Alexander, has come...
"In my hands are the treasures of the universe!
Where I stepped - there is a golden meander...

Ask! I will fulfill every wish,
I'll give you a Palace instead of a barrel!
Come with me! I'll give you wealth and title!
Make no mistake! Well, answer, sage!..."

"Go away! Don't block the Sun for me!"
Said the imperturbable Diogenes.
"My Soul, my God, is not for sale.
The whole world is in me! My world is blessed!"...

15.08.2012(0.14)

Artist:
Giambattista Langetti, Diogenes and Alexander, c. 1650. Fondazione Querini Stampalia, Venice

Everyone has heard of Diogenes. This is an ancient Greek philosopher who lived in a barrel.

Our Diogenes died from a barrel, according to his namesake - Diogenes Laertius, on the same day as Alexander the Great. A marble monument in the shape of a dog was erected on his grave, with the epitaph:
Let the copper grow old under the power of time - still
Your glory will survive the centuries, Diogenes:
You taught us how to live, being content with what you have,
You showed us a path that couldn’t be easier.

***
Incidents from the life of Diogenes
Once, already an old man, Diogenes saw a boy drinking water from a handful, and in frustration threw his cup out of his bag, saying: “The boy has surpassed me in the simplicity of life.”

He also threw away the bowl when he saw another boy who, having broken his bowl, was eating lentil soup from a piece of eaten bread.
***
Diogenes begged for alms from the statues “to accustom himself to refusal.”
When Diogenes asked someone to borrow money, he did not say “give me money,” but “give me my money.”
***
They say that when Alexander the Great came to Attica, he, of course, wanted to get to know the famous “outcast” like many others.
Plutarch says that Alexander waited a long time for Diogenes himself to come to him to express his respect, but the philosopher spent his time calmly at home.

Then Alexander himself decided to visit him. He found Diogenes in Crania (in a gymnasium near Corinth) while he was basking in the sun.

Alexander approached him and said: “I am the great King Alexander.” “And I,” answered Diogenes, “the dog Diogenes.” “And why do they call you a dog?”
“Whoever throws a piece, I wag, whoever doesn’t throw, I bark, whoever is an evil person, I bite.”
“Are you afraid of me?” - asked Alexander. “What are you,” asked Diogenes, “evil or good?”

“Good,” he said. “And who is afraid of good?” Finally, Alexander said: “Ask me whatever you want.” “Move away, you are blocking the sun for me,” said Diogenes and continued to bask.

On the way back, in response to the jokes of his friends who were making fun of the philosopher, Alexander allegedly even remarked: “If I were not Alexander, I would like to become Diogenes.”

Ironically, Alexander died on the same day as Diogenes, June 10, 323 BC.
***
When the Athenians were preparing for war with Philip of Macedon and bustle and excitement reigned in the city, Diogenes began to roll his barrel in which he lived through the streets.
When asked why he was doing this, Diogenes replied: “Everyone is busy, so am I.”

Diogenes said that grammarians study the disasters of Odysseus and do not know their own; musicians fret the strings of the lyre and cannot control their own temper; mathematicians follow the sun and moon, but do not see what is under their feet; rhetoricians teach to speak correctly and do not teach to act correctly; finally, misers scold money, but they themselves love it most of all.

Diogenes' lantern, with which he wandered through crowded places in broad daylight with the words “I am looking for a Man,” became a textbook example back in antiquity.
***
One day, after washing, Diogenes was leaving the bathhouse, and acquaintances who were just about to wash were walking towards him. “Diogenes,” they asked in passing, “how is it full of people?”

“That’s enough,” Diogenes nodded. Immediately he met other acquaintances who were also going to wash and also asked: “Hello, Diogenes, are there a lot of people washing?”
“There are almost no people,” Diogenes shook his head.

Returning once from Olympia, when asked whether there were many people there, he replied: “There are a lot of people, but very few people.”
And one day he went out into the square and shouted: “Hey, people, people!”; but when the people came running, they attacked him with a stick, saying: “I called people, not scoundrels.”

Diogenes continually engaged in handjobs in full view of everyone; when the Athenians remarked about this, they say, “Diogenes, everything is clear, we have a democracy and you can do what you want, but aren’t you going too far?”, he replied: “If only hunger could be relieved by rubbing your stomach.”

When Plato gave a definition that had great success: “Man is an animal with two legs, devoid of feathers,” Diogenes plucked the rooster and brought it to his school, declaring: “Here is Plato’s man!”
To which Plato was forced to add “... and with flat nails” to his definition.
***
One day Diogenes came to a lecture with Anaximenes of Lampsacus, sat in the back rows, took a fish out of a bag and raised it above his head. First one listener turned around and began to look at the fish, then another, then almost everyone.

Anaximenes was indignant: “You ruined my lecture!” “But what is a lecture worth,” said Diogenes, “if some salted fish upset your reasoning?”

When asked which wine tastes best to him, he answered: “Someone else’s.”
One day someone brought him to a luxurious home and remarked: “You see how clean it is here, don’t spit somewhere, it will be all right for you.”
Diogenes looked around and spat in his face, declaring: “Where to spit if there is no worse place.”

When someone was reading a long work and an unwritten place at the end of the scroll already appeared, Diogenes exclaimed: “Courage, friends: the shore is visible!”

To the inscription of one newlywed who wrote on his house: “The son of Zeus, victorious Hercules, dwells here, let no evil enter!” Diogenes wrote: "First war, then alliance"
***
Aphorisms of Diogenes:

Treat nobles like fire; don't stand too close or too far from them.

Death is not evil, for there is no dishonor in it.

Philosophy gives you readiness for any turn of fate.

I am a citizen of the world.

If there is no pleasure in life, then there must be at least some meaning.

The ultimate goal is the prudent choice of what is in accordance with nature

Diogenes was once asked:
- Why do people willingly give alms to the crippled and the poor, but refuse to the wise?

The philosopher replied:
- These people are afraid of becoming crippled and poor, but they know well that they will never become wise men.
***
Diogenes was asked why he did not like people - neither bad nor good. The philosopher replied:
- The bad ones - for doing evil, the good ones - for allowing them to do it.

One day an Athenian laughed at him in these words: “Why, when you praise the Lacedaemonians and blame the Athenians, do not you go to Sparta?” – “Doctors usually visit the sick, not the healthy”

Seeing the gossiping women, Diogenes said: “One viper borrows poison from another.”

Diogenes, to show that he did not consider the Athenians worthy to be called people, lit a lantern in broad daylight and began to walk along the most crowded streets of the city.
“What are you doing?” they asked him.
“I’m looking for a man,” answered Diogenes

When extending your hand to friends, do not clench your fingers into a fist.

Teaching an old man how to treat a dead man

Seeing the old woman preening, Diogenes said: “If for the living, you are late, if for the dead, hurry up.”

Poverty itself paves the way to philosophy. What philosophy tries to convince in words, poverty forces us to do in practice.

A backbiter is the most fierce of wild animals, and a flatterer is the most dangerous of tame animals.

When the philosopher Diogenes needed money, he did not say that he would borrow it from his friends; he said that he would ask his friends to repay him.

Philosophy and medicine have made man the most intelligent of animals, fortune telling and astrology the most insane, superstition and despotism the most unfortunate.
A certain sophist asked Diogenes: “I am not you, right?” “That’s right,” said Diogenes. "I am human". “And this is true,” said Diogenes. “Therefore, you are not a person.” –
“But this,” said Diogenes, “is a lie, and if you want the truth to be born, start your reasoning with me.”

Once at one dinner everyone was bored by a harpist with his poor playing. But Diogenes praised him:
- Well done for being a bad musician, he still continues to play and doesn’t go stealing.

One day Diogenes began to give a philosophical lecture in the city square.
Nobody listened to him. Then Diogenes screeched like a bird, and a hundred onlookers gathered around.
“Here, Athenians, is the price of your intelligence,” Diogenes told them. “When I told you smart things, no one paid attention to me, and when I chirped like an unreasonable bird, you listen to me with your mouth open.”
(http://affinity4you.ru/post129713413/)

Cynicism is the most countercultural movement in ancient philosophy. One of his conclusions was the belief that the basic needs of humans are animals.
A way of life outside the comfort of civilization is the barrel in which Diogenes lived. Only the one who is free from the greatest number of needs is free.
The path leading to virtue is asceticism. Pleasures relax the soul and body and interfere with freedom.
Cynic is outside the state, his fatherland is the whole world.
When Alexander the Great turned to Diogenes with the words: “Ask for what you want,” the sage answered the great commander: “Go away, don’t block the sun for me!!!”
In the face of the most powerful monarch, the most natural thing, the sun, was sufficient for Diogenes, and with this he emphasized the vanity of any power...
After all, happiness comes from within and never from without.)
***
As Elena Maksimova sings: “Happiness is within! There is no need to look for it...”

Happiness, Joy and Love, Friends!_()_