John D. Rockefeller, then the richest man in the world, was asked how much money he wanted. His reply: “Just a little more.”
That sounds like many of us doesn’t it? We all seem to want a little more—fancy houses and flashy cars, bling and rings, frills and thrills, widgets and gadgets.
Aristotle, advocate of the Golden Mean (a balance between excess and scarcity), believed that not all the things we want turn out to be good for us. Some things if received in excess may interfere with our appreciating those things that are best for us.
Among those things that are best for us are health and enough wealth to obtain food, drink, shelter and clothing. Too much wealth and too many gadgets can prevent us from getting what Aristotle calls goods of the soul—knowledge, love, friendship, and integrity. Cultivating these values leads to an abundant life.
Perhaps a message circling in cyberspace sums up Aristotle’s Golden Mean:
- I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
- I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
- I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
- I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
- I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
- I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
- I wish you enough Hellos to get you through the final Good-bye.