Natural Equilibrium – Vitruvian Man, a representation of symmetry and balance.( Image courtesy of Luc Viatour/WickimediCo.)
Hello again, my name is Grace Mann, and it is my privilege to bring you a narration – Harmony and Virtue: Wise Men’s Sayings About Balance.
Prophets and wise people throughout the centuries have touted the idea of balance-balance in relation with happiness, with beauty, and with reason. The word harmony comes from the Greek word armonia whose root is areti, meaning virtue. The two words don’t look the same at first sight, but the origin (aro) is contained in the word armonia, suggesting that through virtue, balance will be achieved.
Socrates the Greek philosopher (470-399 BC) said:
“Virtue is when you avoid exaggerations.”
“Miden agan” written in ‘The Oracle of Delphi’ translates as – (Exaggerate nothing)
The words “Pan metrion ariston” meaning (All in good measure) are those of Cleovoulos of Rhodes, one of the seven sages of Greece.
Of course, sayings regarding balance are not common only to Greek philosophy.
Once upon a time in India, Buddha Shakyamuni was sitting in meditation in front of a river. Music flowed from a small boat passing by. A musician on board was instructing his students: “If you distend the chord too much, the chord will break and you cannot play music,” the music teacher said. “But if you unbend the chord too much you cannot produce any sound.” Shakyamuni overheard these words and enlightened to the principle of balance. And that’s why in his teachings, he taught “The Middle Way.”
Taking the middle way means not going to extremes, but applying moderation to everything we do.
Confucius said “The virtue embodied in the doctrine of the Mean is of the highest order. But it has long been, rare among people.”
The Golden Mean, or “Zhong Yong” loosely translates to the “balancing point.”
Since balance and virtue go hand in hand, it is apparent that virtue is the vehicle for one to achieve balance.
Aristotle said, “Happiness, whether consisting in pleasure or virtue, or both, is more often found with those who are highly cultivated in their minds and in their character, and have only a moderate share of external goods, than among those who possess external goods to a useless extent but are deficient in higher qualities.”
According to Aristotle, the way to achieve virtue is by not giving importance to material things, but instead, to cultivate oneself, mind, and character.
Anaxagoras, a famous Greek doctor living in the 5th century, offers us a way to understand balance by giving an example of a familiar aspect of our lives: music.
From extreme opposite sounds, Anaxagoras explains, high and low notes relax and balance each other’s power to become harmonious, and this harmony is the art of music – harmony is consonant, and consonance is symphony.
As Anaxagoras was chiefly a doctor when he wasn’t delving into mathematics, physics, and astronomy, he also mentioned food as an arena where balance is crucial.
“If there isn’t harmony in the way people enjoy food, then it would be a poison instead of medicine or even a pleasure,” he said.
Anaxagoras’ words on balance predated Socrates’ ideas on the same subject, and have been picked up by Aristotle much later.
“The word harmony can be found everywhere, can be mentioned by anyone and can be praised by anyone. It can also mean anything and be anywhere and everywhere. No matter what, no matter where, if someone finds the balance in his life in whatever he does, in whatever he sees and whatever he hears, it’s surely that he is a virtuous man that has found the way to see that things need a balance.”
Thank you for joining us today. Stay tuned for more great Ancient Tales of Wisdom.
Story sourced from: The epoch Times
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