- Horace

Voltaire said :
The better is the enemy of the good.
Variant translations:
The perfect is the enemy of the good.
The best is the enemy of the good.

In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle defined a virtue as a balance point between a deficiency and an excess of a trait. The point of greatest virtue lies not in the exact middle, but at a golden mean sometimes closer to one extreme than the other. For example, courage is the mean between cowardice and foolhardiness, confidence the mean between self-deprecation and vanity, and generosity the mean between miserliness and extravagance.

Virtue, by definition, is a characteristic that promotes individual and collective well being. A vice, on the other hand, does not promote well being. What is surprising to me is that a virtue stands between two vices.

Now, this is something to think about. The present day paradigm is being the best. We all are told that we have to be the best at what we do. And we even strive for it.
We give up things just to be the best in what we do. We encourage children to be first in class. In fact our lives are so competitive that we call it a rat race. We drive ourselves hard and get burnt out.
No wonder this puts things out of perspective. We feel miserable when we cant be the best. We don’t forgive our own mistakes.

Pushing to extreme cant be a balanced way of life, even if the extreme is perfection. Being the best may be good for business, but it may not be good for the spirit.

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“The best breath test, tests breath better”

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I’m wondering if there is truth in it …

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All knowledge falls within three kinds:
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- The Times of India, SMS joke of the day, 12th November 2008

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- Debbie Ford

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Turn right
and go straight.

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If you work too hard, there is never any time for her.
If you don’t work enough, you’re a good-for-nothing bum.

If she has a boring repetitive job with low pay, it’s exploitation.
If you have a boring repetitive job with low pay, you should get off your butt and find something better.

If you get a promotion ahead of her, it’s favoritism.
If she gets a job ahead of you, it’s equal opportunity.

If you mention how nice she looks, it’s sexual harassment.
If you keep quiet, it’s male indifference.

If you cry, you’re a wimp.
If you don’t, you’re insensitive.

If you make a decision without consulting her, you’re a control freak.
If she makes a decision without consulting you, she’s a liberated woman.

If you ask her to do something she doesn’t enjoy, that’s manipulation.
If she asks you, it’s a favor.

If you try to keep yourself in shape, you’re self-centered.
If you don’t, you’re a slob.

If you buy her flowers, you’re after something.
If you don’t, you’re not thoughtful.

If you’re proud of your achievements, you’re an egotist.
If you’re not, you’re not ambitious.

If she has a headache, she’s tired.
If you have a headache, you don’t love her anymore.

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Max replies, “Why don’t you ask the Priest?”

So Jack goes up to the Priest and asks, ” Father, may I smoke while I pray ?”

The Priest replies, “No, my son, you  may not! That’s utter disrespect to our religion.”

Jack goes back to his friend and  tells him what the good Priest told him.

Max says, “I’m not  surprised. You asked the wrong question. Let me try.”

And so Max  goes up to the Priest and asks, “Father, may I pray while I smoke ?”

To which the Priest eagerly replies, “By all  means, my son. By all means. You can always pray whenever you want to.”

Moral of the story is, “The reply you get depends on the question you ask.”

Courtesy : Anonymous forwarded e-mail

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