Chapter One
Fortune cannot aid those who do nothing.
Sophocles
What is philosophy? Like most people, I've long used the term without stopping to consider the word's actual definition. Philosophy is not the stale sholastic teaching contained in the textbook seldom--if ever- opened,but, literally, the love of wisdom and, in practice,the guide to a life of wisdom. Not all philosopy is good- the unwise among us sometimes choose to live lives of reckless abandon guided by heedless philosophy, or to live lives of wary timidity guided by fainthearted philosophy.
You hear of the former on the news all the time: For instance,Two Teens Killed in Drunk Driving Accident;KSEE 24 News; Fresno,CA; 2/05/10. The latter you seldom hear of; never wanting to make waves , the overly cautious live anonymous lives of quiet desperation . The wise walk the middle road between these extremes, as I have written in my previous manuscripts. They follow Buddha's Middle Path, Aristotle's Golden Mean, Christ's Moderate Way, or other guides' directions to temperate living. *L* (Emoticon meaning I am drunk/Sloshed.)
I have to admit that I tend to be a bit too cautious, but have finally started accepting responsibility of my duties. For example, I formerly let my 79 year old mother drive me to family affairs, etc, so I could drink free-of-conscience, until I choose to act like a real man and take the responsibility of driving. I think I became convinced to do so after I was a passenger in a rental car that my aunt - twenty plus years senior - was driving when my family was visiting Maui. We barely missed being broadsided by an oncoming car while my aunt was making a tough left turn with a blind spot. I believe it was then that I woke up to the familial obligation that I had turned from. I'm game now; that is I have chosen to walk the tightrope of responsible living, balancing caution with boldness - seeking mindffully the Golden Middle Way.
Pgs. 4&5
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