To Die Is to Gain 　　　Socrates was one of the greatest philosophers. But it was ironic to the Athenian democracy that he was sentenced to death by the jury trial. He aimed to make people focus on self-development instead of anything more than virtue. He asked people not to be ignorance but to realize that they were really nothing. He was condemned to death just because of his words. 　　　Actually he did have the chance to escape. I have discussed with some of my friends on the question that if Socrates should flee away. Someone said he should escape to live so that he could continue to promote his philosophy to others. But in my opinion, to die was his best choice. For one thing, his death was the fight for the real justice. For another thing, escape was to betray his “social contract” with the state and Socratic principle. 　　　I admire his fearless attitude to death. He said death was a good. I agree with him. But it doesn’t mean I will eulogize and embrace death in a negative way. Death is a good just when one willing to die for truth, virtue and justice. It’s such of a nature that everyone will die. So it’s no use to be afraid of death. Just like Socrates said, death was either a state of nothingness and utter unconsciousness just like undisturbed sleep, or, a change of the soul from this world to anther. Somehow, death means eternity with pleasure — eternal undisturbed sleep or a journey to a world with real justice. 　　　In fact, I think what Socrates said in his last speech reflected his criticism and irony of Athenian democracy. For example, “In another world they do not put a man to death for asking questions: assuredly not”, it indicated that the sentence to him is not unjust, and as a matter of fact, the other world what he depicted was the idea society with the real democracy. His last words also reflected that people should care about virtue and be modest. 　　　His death promoted people to rethinking about what was the real democracy and what was the principle of one’s development. Therefore, for Socrates, to die was to gain.