A Dog's Life

When Alexander the Great met with Greek philosopher Diogenes (about 400 - 325 BC) - who lived for a time in an earthenware tub (and not a barrel, as is often claimed) in the grounds of an Athenian temple - he asked him if there is anything he (Diogenes) wanted. Diogenes replied: “Yes, get out of my sunlight!” Impressed by such directness, the conqueror is said to have remarked to him: “Were I not Alexander, I would wish to be Diogenes.” Diogenes, who dressed like a beggar, lived so austerely that he was nicknamed “the dog”. As a result, his disciples came to be known sneeringly as Cynics, from the Greek word “kunikos” meaning “dog-like” - an insult they accepted proudly, saying they were watchdogs if morality. On his death, Diogenes asked to be buried like a dog; thrown into a ditch and covered with rubbish. Instead he was given a splendid funeral at Corinth - and, in memory of his nickname, his tomb was topped with a carving of a dog. [caption id="attachment_20118" align="aligncenter" width="300"] A 1st century AD Roman sculpture depicting the meeting between Diogenes and Alexander the Great[/caption]