The most interesting historical figures that ever existed are Socrates and St. Augustine who were at the center of spiritual life in ancient times. Their works are still the most influential worldwide. Augustine and Socrates focused on life with God, the metaphysical analysis of time, the ethical analysis of evil, and the examined life. Of course, other people, including Christians, had expressed these things before, but Augustine and Socrates brought an intellectual account and a set of reasoned arguments to ground these ideas. At that time, it was a kind of philosophical revolution. Every revolution needs heroes capable of making sacrifices. So these heroes were Socrates and Saint Augustine who continue to inspire people all over the world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Many people describe the word “mission” as an important goal or purpose accompanied by a strong belief. On the other hand, mission is a word that is often used but it is not easy to find a clear definition that describes it, much less find one that everyone agrees on. In the “Apology” Socrates clearly describes his mission “I am that gadfly whom God has attached to the state, and all day long… arousing, persuading, and rebuking… You will not easily find another like me.” Socrates compares himself to a gadfly and compares society to a horse. It is a stinging insect that wakes livestock from sleep. Socrates says that the Athenians are asleep and neglect all the injustices happening around them. His task is to awaken the Athenians and show them what is really happening. This is the push people need to take action and bring justice to their homeland. The gadfly metaphor was true to Socrates and his role in Athenian society. Socrates claims that his role as a social gadfly is not for his benefit, but for the benefit of the people of Athens. “And now, O Athenians, I will not argue for myself, as you may think, but for you, lest you sin against God by condemning me, who am his gift to you.” According to Socrates, part of the reason for his arrest was because politicians in the Athenian government didn't like Socrates going around telling people about the corruption they were trying to keep hidden. If the people knew what was really happening in their government, they could bring justice to Athens. This is why society needs a gadfly like Socrates. On the other hand, Saint Augustine does not mention his mission in the “Confessions”, but we can read it from the Enchiridion: On faith, hope and love “But we should know the causes of good and evil in things, at least as far as men can do it in this life, full as it is of errors and anguish, to avoid these errors and anguish. We must always strive for that true happiness in which misery does not distract and no error deceives." (p 27) Augustine made a long and difficult journey from childhood faith through Manichaeism, skepticism, and Platonism to an experiential faith. He believes in God with all his heart and encourages us to believe in Him too. He is the source of life, the pure form, the highest beauty. God is the center of Augustine's life. When he was young he searched with a restless heart for the meaning of life. Augustine says: “Whoever enters into you enters into the joy of his Lord, will not be afraid and will achieve excellence in the Excellent”. He sees his mission as being a servant of God. Augustine wants to praise God by developing and using God-given talents according to God's Will; and for the greater glory of God. It understands the human being as a person endowed with an indivisible personality endowed withintelligence and free will, created in the image and likeness of God. Each person is a special closed world in which there isa struggle between good and evil, spirit and flesh, mind and sensitivity. Furthermore, Socrates was convinced that he was chosen by God. He says: “Be sure that this is what the god commands me to do, and I think there is no greater blessing for the city than my service to the god. For I do nothing but persuade young and old among you not to take care of your body and your riches, preferring or with the same force the best possible state of your soul." According to Socrates, people should not spend their lives thinking about career, money and intellectual perfection. He believes that the transfer of knowledge from one person to another is impossible and unnecessary. True knowledge is contained in a hidden form in the human soul and everyone should bring it to the light of conscience. Likewise, man, according to Augustine, is created by God, who gave him body, soul, mind and free will. Man's primary duty is to follow God's commandments and be like Christ. He says: “Therefore we must return to you with humble piety and let you cleanse us from our wicked ways and be merciful to those who confess their sins to you, and hear the groans of the prisoners and loose us from those chains which we have forged for ourselves themselves." According to Augustine, the main virtues are to overcome selfishness and learn to love others. Socrates says “I thought to myself: I am wiser than this man; probably none of us knows anything really good, but thinks he has knowledge, when he doesn't have it, while I, having no knowledge, think I don't have it. On the one hand, this principle was necessary to fight the sophists, criticizing their teachings and statements about learning the truth. On the other hand, the adoption of this principle aimed to encourage people to expand their knowledge and understand the truth. You can study the laws of nature, the movement of the stars, but you don't have to go that far: find yourself and then, through the knowledge of things, you can find the truth. For Socrates, man, first of all, is his soul. And the "soul" for him is the mind, the ability for critical thinking and conscience. When he opened his "narrow path" as a Christian, Augustine knew the most important thing: God is Love. God's love is immeasurable for man. He says clearly: “But you are the life of souls, the life of lives, you have life in yourself and never change, O life of my soul.” Without this mutual love, the feeling of life disappears; there is only emptiness, pain and death. Man is still free to choose to accept or reject the ultimate manifestation of divine love. He has developed a deep spirituality in which love is central. God is also the most important object of cognition and perception. God brings light into the human spirit and helps people find the truth. Everything exists because of God and every good thing comes from God. This is only the appearance that people get their knowledge from the world, in reality it is deep within their own spirit. A person cannot be a creator, he sees only divine ideas. He believed that God not only created the world, but also continues to work at this time and will work in the future. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay To draw a conclusion, it must be said that the views of Socrates and Saint Augustine on life goals and missions are similar. They justify the importance of spiritual freedom by the example of their life, using gift and wisdom. To be successful in our search for truth, we must have purpose, faith, and desire. Furthermore, human beings are moral..