Just before New Years it was a special treat to go for lunch with Ava Marginson and her mother Jody.

Ava Marginson recently signed with Trent University. Ava was part of Coach Troy Lorenson's Beyond Sport Volleyball Academy & will be taking her talents to the Trent Excalibur team next Fall. Everyone is so proud of her achievements. 

The theme of our lunch was how happiness, nature and society are all interconnected. It was Ava that highlighted the incredible work that Plato has given to all of humanity to consider. 

Questions about human nature and happiness were integral to Plato’s teachings, who believed that happiness, nature, beauty, and society were all interconnected and each served a purpose in our ability to flourish and live fulfilled lives.

In his book, The Republic, Plato argues that only when we truly understand human nature can we find individual happiness and social stability. He also emphasized that humans are not self-sufficient but in fact benefit greatly from social interaction and friendships.

However, happiness itself was not dependent on external affairs, society, or friendships. For Plato, the quest to find individual happiness ran parallel to the quest to control our inner self, namely our temptations, desires, and emotions.

“The man who makes everything that leads to happiness depends upon himself, and not upon other men, has adopted the very best plan for living happily” -Plato, The Republic

Ava is pictured here with her Emily Dahl Foundation shirt on her recent visit to Trent University. 

This young lady is an inspiration to us all at The Emily Dahl Foundation. 

Ava is proof that Kindness Always Wins and we wish her and all the athletes of Beyond Sport Volleyball Academy continued happiness for 2024.   

Sherman and Katie Dahl
The Emily Dahl Foundation