Labor Day 2025, The Trump Effect, and Plato's Republic, and Why I Now Support Trump

It's another Labor Day in the USA.  If you are a reader of EsotericDaily.com then you know the importance of this day to me; I've written about it before in my Madame Blavatsky Labor Day Story. That's really more of a story about Annie Besant than Blavatsky, but read it if you want to know the liberal side of the story. Today, however, on this Labor Day 2025, I want to talk about President Trump and how I owe him an apology.  For years now I have not written favorably of him, and today, I will change this. For this reformed liberal has seen the light.  I was wrong about everything, he was right. As it stands now, gas prices are the lowest I've seen in years, the stock market is at a record high, and well, with the National Guard on every street corner, I feel safer. 

So, Mr President, please accept my apology. Everyday I am praying for your happiness and the success of our country. Keep up the good work.  

According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the ancient Mediterranean tradition, exemplified by Plato and Aristotle, admired craft and knowledge-driven productive activity while also espousing the necessity of leisure and freedom for a virtuous life. This is the balance. As with everything we need balance. Yes, the Yin/Yang. Work and Relaxation. Today I relax. 

The important thing to remember about this Labor Day 2025, is what we read on today's Whitehouse.gov in black and white:

TRUMP EFFECT: Higher Pay for American Workers

The White House

June 6, 2025

 “President Trump’s America First Economic Agenda has created a BOOMING economy — jobs are up, unemployment is down, wages are increasing, and inflation is dead. More than 139,000 good jobs were added to the private sector in May, all accounted for by American-born workers. Americans should continue to trust in President Trump, who continues to beat expectations.” — White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt

Need I say more?  

Yes, thank you President Trump for the "Booming economy."  You are the greatest president ever, and this liberal will now march in step with you. I support you and the walls to keep out the criminals.  I support the deportation of those who are not in the US legally.  I support shrinking government spending-- except for that which is benefiting me, i.e., VA Hospital, VA Disability Pay, Social Security -- and most of all, I support and honor your greatness.

~~ Eso Terry

Highlights of Plato's Republic 

Plato's concept of an "esoteric patriotism" refers to an allegiance not to one's literal city-state, but to the ideal of the

just city itself. This idea is "esoteric" because it is hidden within the allegorical layers of his political writings, particularly The Republic. This form of patriotism contrasts sharply with the "worldly" or conventional patriotism that Plato critiques. 

 

The critique of conventional patriotism

 

Plato's negative experiences with Athenian democracy, which condemned his mentor Socrates to death, fueled his deep skepticism of worldly patriotism. He believed that conventional patriotism and civic pride were susceptible to emotional manipulation by demagogues, leading to rash, unjust, and impulsive political actions. Conventional patriotism, as Plato saw it, was an allegiance to an unjust city-state, and therefore a corrupting influence on the soul of the individual. 

 

The allegory of the just city

 

Plato's esoteric patriotism is centered on the pursuit of the ideal, just city (kallipolis).

• The Noble Lie: The myth of the metals, a "noble lie" told to citizens in The Republic, promotes an esoteric form of civic unity. Citizens are told they were born from the earth and their social class (gold, silver, or bronze) is determined by a metal mixed into their soul by the gods. This fosters a sense of shared parentage by the city itself, encouraging loyalty not to a particular family or faction, but to the whole community.
• Inner harmony as a precursor to outer justice: For Plato, true governance begins within the individual. The ideal city-state is a projection of the properly ordered soul, in which reason rules over the appetites and spirit. This means that the truest patriotism is a commitment to cultivating justice in one's own character.
• Rejection of tribalism: Plato's philosophical approach moves beyond tribal loyalties. In The Republic, the philosopher-kings' allegiance is to the Form of the Good and the concept of justice itself, not to a specific group of people. This is evident in Plato's thought on warfare, where he suggests a different, less destructive set of rules for conflicts among Greek city-states ("civil war") than for conflicts with "barbarians". This implies a hierarchy of political unity, culminating in the highest-order philosophical unity. 

The esoteric nature of Plato's message

 

Plato wrote his dialogues in a way that is intentionally confusing, open-ended, and not easily solved, often embedding allegories and myths with deeper meanings. 

• Hidden meaning: Later Platonic traditions took this idea of "hidden meanings" (hyponoiai) as foundational to interpreting his work. Commentaries on Plato have noted that key concepts are placed at regular intervals in the text, similar to musical patterns, adding another hidden layer of significance.
• Protection of knowledge: The esoteric nature of his work served a political purpose, protecting higher truths from "the common herd" who might misinterpret or abuse them. For instance, the Allegory of the Cave functions as an allegory for philosophical education and politics, not just epistemology. It suggests that the enlightened philosopher-ruler is needed to drag people out of their ignorance and lead the city to justice, even if the unenlightened masses perceive them as enemies.