The Via Media

"Excellence, then, is a state concerned with choice, lying in a mean relative to us, this being determined by reason and in the way in which the man of practical wisdom would determine it...excellence both finds and chooses that which is intermediate."

So says Aristotle in his Nicomachean Ethics. What say you, Francis Bacon, in your Essays?

"Physicians are some of them so pleasing and conformable to the humor of the patient, as they press not the true cure of the disease; and some other are regular in proceeding according to art for the disease, as they respect not sufficiently the condition of the patient. Take one of a middle temper; or, if it may not be found in one man, combine two of either sort; and forget not to call as well the best acquainted with your body, as the best reputed of for his faculty."

Indeed. Frost elaborates in "The Black Cottage".

"For, dear me, why abandon a belief

Merely because it ceases to be true?

Cling to it long enough, and not a doubt

It will turn true again, for so it goes.

Most of the change we think we see in life

Is due to truths in and out of favor.

As I sit here, and oftentimes, I wish

I could be monarch of a desert land

I could devote and dedicate forever

To the truths we keep coming back and back to."

Aristotle's Golden Mean. The middle path. Meden agan as it was written on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. Nothing in excess. As I am getting a little older in years now, thirty eight as of September, it seems that I am seeing proof of this everywhere I look. In the classic works of the Western canon it is everywhere scattered about from the Lyceum to the modern era, though less, far less, now than in the not-so-distant past even. I think of the four classic cardinal virtues of temperance, prudence, justice and courage. They all seem to search for a path of moderation. Temperance rather than self-indulgence in bodily pleasures or strict abstention from them. Courage rather than cowardice or foolish vainglory. Justice perhaps being defined as receiving what you've rightly earned or, just as importantly, being punished in accordance for a crime committed with injustice being the state of receiving more or less than you should have or punished more or less than you deserved. And finally, my favorite, prudence-not being too bold or hasty nor too pondering and slow to respond. A shrewd and sagacious kind of common sense. In medicine perhaps prudence is what Osler would have called Aequanimitas. A kind and tender imperturbability. A gentle unflappability. Prudence, where have you gone?

The world seems to be on fire. Is it worse than it has been in the past? As an amateur student of history I can't imagine that is the case and yet, one senses a certain coarseness in the culture. There is a lack of civility and a lack of soulful curiosity. Philosophy, literature and history seem to be fading into ideology, tweeting and distorted presentism. There seems to be a loss of our historical ties to those who came before-a kind of rootlessness that feels like the foundation of a coming anarchy. This terrible malaise of the public spirit haunts me and fills me with an inchoate trepidation. Where are we headed? For prudence appears to be packing her bags and heading out the door. Prudence requires reason. Without reason we are slaves to our passions and those who are commanded by their passions do not search for moderation in the world. They make noise rather than music. Parades are replaced with riots. Science replaced with belief bordering on the religious. Religion replaced with science bordering on belief. The objective with the subjective. Order with chaos.

Of course, I hope I'm terribly wrong about all of this. I think I have been successfully accused of pessimism in the past. I yield to the charge, but still, I hope we can recover our temperance, courage, justice and, of course, our prudence.

I've been deeply ensconced at home with family and work for the last three weeks and it's been really very wonderful. I've finished reediting the final draft of The Meteorite and am going to go through the manuscript one last time for clarity and to make sure there are no glaring errors. Then it's off to the presses! The cover art looks awesome as well. I'll be sure to keep the legion of dedicated readers of this blog up to speed as the book moves through the final stages of the publishing process. If you'd like a copy or have any questions let me know. And of course, as always, please keep me informed if you liked or hated anything I put up on this space. I can be reached at authorandrewross@gmail.com. All advice is helpful and thank you for reading.