Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron
Golden mean
Translation of the expression: aurea mediocritas, used by Horace (Od. II, 10, 5) to mean the proper course of action, alien to all extremes. Now the expression is usually used in an ironic sense.
Philosophical Dictionary (Comte-Sponville)
Golden mean
Golden mean
♦ Mediete
This concept (in Greek mesotes) is found in Aristotle. So, he called virtue itself the golden mean "between the types of depravity, one of which is from excess, the other from lack." The golden mean is the opposite of mediocrity; it is a kind of perfection or peak, reminiscent of a ridge line between two abysses or between an abyss and a swamp (Nicomachean Ethics, book II, 5-6, 1106a-1107a).
Lem's world - dictionary and guide
Golden mean
the state when the influences on the object are compensated so that the rate of change of parameters is zero, and given state balance steadily; for example, in mechanics - when the position deviates from the equilibrium, such a force arises that the state of equilibrium is restored; there are currently no significant fluctuations for the economy as a whole on the issue of consumption in Western countries, which indicates the existence of a stable equilibrium:
* "Time free from work should henceforth serve the consumption of goods, and moreover, in increasing quantities, since there are more and more of them. This process, it seems, does not have such a maximum that would coincide with a certain cultural optimum. Today, things look as if one could produce either too little or, abruptly, too much, but not "just right". Such a golden mean does not seem to exist at all." - Culture Model*
There are also people who apply the principle of the golden mean in life, but only in certain areas. Suppose this principle can be applied to the family, but not to work. Or in relation to relaxing with friends - yes, but to drinking - no.
This principle can be applied in relation to money, for example, in the sphere of monetary expenses for oneself, but not for children. Out of love, parents, for example, can buy their children everything they want, and thereby nurture them spoiled and capricious - and so on.
In this article, the author will talk about acquiring the experience of the golden mean by personal example. The author had many different experiences. Since a person remembers best when specific examples are given to him, this article will present those experiences of the golden mean that the author has acquired in his life.
Golden mean number 1. Alcohol
There was a period when the author did not drink alcohol, because it was "right" and everyone praised him for it. Then the author entered the university, and the environment influenced him. He drank, and a lot, although his body told him more than once that alcohol was a poison.
When you feel sick every time, your head hurts, the pressure rises - then what can we talk about? Then what is the reason why the author continued to drink. Yes, simply because everyone did it. This went on until the author realized that alcohol was not for him, and if someone drinks, it does not mean that he should drink too. So the author returned to a sober lifestyle again, but only because he himself made a conscious choice. He tried two extremes and chose what he liked.
The golden mean is possible only if you experience two polarities. In this case, being sober is one polarity, and drinking is another.
At first there was a sober lifestyle, because it was “right”, they were praised for it, then there was a period of life when the author drank because everyone did it, then there was a conscious choice not to drink, because the author realized that he did not like it and he should not act like others.
Usually people get stuck in one of the polarities, and they are always drawn to the other polarity, while they can never come to harmony - to the golden mean.
Golden mean number 2. Attention
Of course, a lot of people didn't like it and tried to get him to stick his head in the sand, but the author didn't back down and that strengthened his spirit.
A few more years passed, and the author again became quiet. But already there was no embarrassment or embarrassment in him, he was quiet simply because it was his conscious choice. The author at any moment could become arrogant and attract attention, but he no longer needed it, he survived two polarities and again chose the golden mean.
Only after experiencing both polarities, you can choose the golden mean, otherwise you simply will not feel where it is.
Golden mean number 3. Money
There was a period when the author was very stingy in terms of money. Again, this went on for a while. There came a period when the author was spending money left and right. Over time, the author again came to value money and treat it thriftily. But then he no longer spared money if it was necessary to give a large amount. But at the same time, there were no more unnecessary and meaningless monetary expenses.
Golden mean number 4. Girls
There was a period when the author lived in dreams that he needed the one and only and that only one would be to his heart. The author in his youth did not understand that a certain experience in communicating with girls is needed in order to at least understand what they need from you, what interests them - you or, say, your wallet.
Golden Mean #5: Developing Awareness
There was a period of life when the author did not teach anyone anything, but only studied. Over time, the author began to develop his awareness and consciousness. Thousands and thousands of books were read, of which only 10 were singled out, which were closest to the author's liking. And he read them again and again until they ingrained in his mind. Then the author began to read these books to others, to repeat the phrases of these books, and this became even more fixed in the mind of the author.
The book-reading phase has ended and the action phase has begun. The stage of teaching people all indiscriminately has also ended, and the stage of teaching or reminding people of Who They Really Are has begun - only to those who really wanted it.
There was a stage of lack of self-acceptance, then the author accepted himself, then a stage of rejection of others, then the author accepted others, and the last stage: the author did not accept that his relatives did not accept him as he is. And the author accepted the fact that he was not accepted. The author allowed others not to accept him.
This is done by every person on Earth. The question is a conscious choice or not, a person is someone else's product or his own.
Conclusions on the topic "What is the golden mean":
- in order to know and feel the golden mean, one must experience what extremes are;
- the more a person acquires measures in many spheres of life, the more he approaches himself;
- awareness is the key to everything, including the feeling of the golden mean;
- over time, a person can feel the golden mean in the most subtle areas of life, and, of course, this is only available to a conscious person;
- wake up and feel the measure in everything, the soul will always tell you when enough is enough, you just need to hear it.
In this article, we will talk about what the golden mean is and how to use it in life.
Few people apply the principle of the golden mean in life. People, as a rule, either do not know at all what a measure is, or, if they do, this principle is not applied.
There are also those people who apply the principle of the golden mean in life, but only in certain areas. Suppose this principle can be applied to the family, but not to work. Or in relation to relaxing with friends, yes, but not to drinking.
This principle can be applied in relation to money, for example, in the sphere of monetary expenses for oneself, but not for children, because of love, parents, for example, can buy them everything that the children do not want, and thereby raise spoiled and capricious children etc.
It is in this article that the author will describe to you exactly about acquiring the experience of the golden mean by personal example. The author had many different experiences. Since a person remembers best when specific examples are given to him, this article will present those experiences of the golden mean that the author has acquired in his life.
Golden mean number 1. Alcohol
There was a period when the author did not drink alcohol, because it was "right" and everyone praised him for it. Then the author entered the university, and the environment influenced him. He drank and not a little, although his body told him more than once that alcohol is a poison. Since when you feel sick every time, your head hurts, the pressure rises, then what can we talk about. Then what is the reason why the author continued to drink. Yes, simply because everyone did it. This went on until the author realized that alcohol was not for him, and if someone drinks, this does not mean that the author should drink. So the author again
stopped drinking, but only because he himself made a conscious choice. The author tried two extremes, and chose what he liked.
The golden mean is possible only if you experience two polarities. In this case, being sober is one polarity, and drinking alcohol is another.
At first there was a sober lifestyle, because it was “correctly” praised for it, then there was a period of life when the author drank because everyone did it, then there was a conscious choice not to drink, because the author realized that he did not like it and he should not act like the others. Usually people get stuck in one of the polarities, and they are always drawn to the other polarity, and they can never come to harmony, to the golden mean.
Golden mean number 2. Attention
There was a period when the author was quieter than water, lower than grass. He was a quiet, shy, shy youngster who was afraid to draw attention to himself. That's how he was brought up. This went on until he entered the university. There, the author did not immediately, but after a certain time, turned from a quiet person into his opposite, on the contrary, he actively attracted attention, and became quite not quiet at all. Of course, a lot of people didn't like it and tried to get him to stick his head in the sand, but the author didn't back down and that strengthened his spirit.
A few more years passed and the author became quiet again. But already there was no embarrassment or embarrassment in him, he was quiet, simply because it was his conscious choice. The author at any moment could become arrogant and attract attention, but he no longer needed it, he survived two polarities and again chose the golden mean.
Only after experiencing both polarities can you choose the golden mean, otherwise you simply will not feel where it is, the golden mean.
Golden mean number 3. Money
There was a period when the author was very stingy in terms of money. Again, this went on for a while. There came a period when the author was spending money left and right. Over time, the author came back to value money and treat it thriftily. But already the author did not spare money if it was necessary to give a large amount. But at the same time, there are no more unnecessary and senseless monetary expenses.
Golden mean number 4. Girls
There was a period when the author lived in dreams that he needed the only one and that only one would be to his heart.
Golden Mean #5: Developing Awareness
There was a period of life when the author did not teach anyone anything, but only studied. Over time, the author began to develop his awareness and consciousness, thousands and thousands of books were read and only 10 of them were singled out, which were closest to the author's liking, and he reread them again and again until they entered his consciousness. Then the author began to read these books to others, to repeat the phrases of these books, and this became even more fixed in the mind of the author.
Then the author realized that he had nothing more to read and the author began to act in accordance with what he read, and saw how changing himself, he changes both the world and the people around. The stage of reading books has ended and the stage of action has begun. The stage of teaching people all indiscriminately also ended and the stage of teaching or reminding people began Who They Really Are only for those who really wanted it.
There was a stage of lack of self-acceptance, then the author accepted himself, then a stage of rejection of others, then the author accepted others and the last stage, the author did not accept that his relatives did not accept him as he is, and the author accepted that they did not accept him. The author allowed others not to accept him.
But this became possible due to the fact that the author got the experience of two polarities.
This is done by every person on Earth. The question is whether it is a conscious choice or not. Man is someone else's product or his own.
Findings:
- in order to know and feel the golden mean, one must experience what extremes are;
- the more a person acquires measures in many areas of life, the more he approaches ;
- awareness is the key to everything, including the feeling of the golden mean;
- over time, a person can feel the golden mean in the most subtle areas of life, and of course this is available only to a conscious person;
- and feel the measure in everything, the soul will always tell you when enough is enough, you just need to hear it.
If the reader has any question, you can always ask it in the comments under this article.
What is the "golden mean"? What is the correct spelling of this word. Concept and interpretation.
golden mean that the Optimal position, devoid of extremes. This refers to the situation, mode of action, behavior (P), in which they try to find the middle, least conflict path, try to avoid risky decisions. book. ? R is the golden mean. In the role of additional or subject to The order of component words is usually fixed. Rubtsov-Emnitsky was an agile man and in his work he loved not the golden mean, but extremes. S. Babaevsky, Cavalier of the Golden Star. The carriages parted. Mother even burst into tears: - You always manage to bring passions to critical extremes. Ah, Fike, how good it is to know the golden mean. V. Pikul, Favorite. There were conflicts, misunderstandings, and cases of complete mutual misunderstanding. Sometimes you just had to give in to capricious and demanding old people, and it was not easy to find the "golden mean" - the opportunity to cooperate with the patient in his own interests. Nedelya, 1985. [Presenter:] If you say that it was easy for you to win today, why didn't you choose the red carpet [you can't make a mistake on it even once]? [Member:] I prefer the middle ground. t/p "Clever and clever", 2002. I think that both of these theories are extreme. We need a golden mean. And how to find it? (Speech) Everything used - in extremes the mind wanders - / And the golden mean / Everything was not given to him! A. Blok, Retribution. On the other hand, maybe this is the temptation of the devil. It's so easy to justify your own weakness by caring for loved ones. And where is that golden mean, having found which, you can live in complete harmony with your conscience and not deprive people who depend on you? Ch. Abdullaev, Ideal target. cultural commentary: phraseol. is a tracing paper from lat. expressions aurea mediocritas, belonging to the ancient Roman poet Horace (Berkov V.P., Mokienko V.M., Shulezhkova S.G. A large dictionary of winged words of the Russian language. M., 2000. P. 187), in whose texts the golden mean appears as the best, ideal position from the point of view of moral-philosophical and worldly positions; e.g.: “You will live better, not striving, Licinius, Often into the distance of the seas, where storms are dangerous, But not crowding to the uneven and unreliable shores. He will also escape a wretched roof, And what envy in others feeds - Marvelous halls. (Antique lyrics. M., 1968. S. 393.) The image of phraseology. goes back to this idea and through the golden component (from gold) correlates with the natural material code of culture, i.e. with the totality of substances and objects that exist in nature, which, in addition to their natural properties, carry meanings that are functionally significant for culture. Since ancient times, gold has had an ambiguous symbolism (see commentary on THE GOLDEN AGE). In this case, gold is understood as smth. extremely valuable, the best, and is symbolically associated with the idea of the indisputability of truth (cf. the golden ratio, the golden rule, golden words; cf. also with the French le juste milieu - lit. "just, right middle"). phraseol. as a whole acts as a standard, i.e., measure, balance, optimal and most favorable position. Other European languages have similar figurative expressions; e.g. in English. - the golden mean.
golden mean- translation of the expression: aurea mediocritas, used by Horace (Od. II, 10, 5) to mean proper ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron
golden mean- Express. The image of action, behavior, devoid of extremes; intermediate position. Rubtsov-Emnitsky would...
The golden mean is dead. Long live Healthy Flexibility!
I am touched by the search for the "golden mean" every time I encounter this phenomenon. In general, the "golden mean" is a myth. This is something that does not happen in living people. “What happens?” - you ask. Good question. I offer my thoughts.All adults, I think, know that without a day there would be no night, without top - bottom, good - without evil, darkness - without light, etc.
By the way, what HERE can be the "golden mean"? Eternal sunset-dawn in gray tones?
So they know, but sometimes they find it difficult to draw some very logical conclusions. For example, these are so simple: without joyful and other “good” feelings, there would be no sad and “bad”, without the answer “no” - there would be no answer “yes”, without “I want something” - there would be no “ I want another” (that is, “I don’t want something”).
And, therefore, it is so conceived, and this is normal. But I have already written a lot about this, so I will not repeat myself, but I will write about more complex conclusions. Less obvious.
For example, about such.
Without health, there is no disease.
There are no meetings without parting.
Without the experience of suffering, there can be no experience of pleasure.
Without love, there is no, and there can be no hatred. And vice versa, of course.
And what can be? Guessed? Without love and without hate, you will have a "golden mean". That is, neither this nor that. Dullness, boredom and nothing human. Explain?
I explain.
It's all about the pendulum. Well, like a cuckoo clock, for example. Tick-tock. Swinging. The higher and faster it swings to the right, the higher to the left (let's assume that the heart is the perpetual motion machine of this pendulum, otherwise, of course, there will be attenuation - over time).
But what is important: to arbitrarily hang in the "golden mean" (that is, to take it like that and suddenly stop on its own) or to swing sharply twice as weakly in the other direction - the pendulum will not be able to. Do not even hope - for that he, in fact, is a pendulum. But there is a chance to "stop rocking" (i.e. live). How it's done? Just.
Take any feeling or desire that you don’t like about yourself, and start to get rid of it, to fight (in our psychological sense, to restrain all manifestations of what you don’t like). I explain with an example. Let's say someone got sick or even, unfortunately, died.
Lyrical digression. By the way, I had to. A person dies not because he was sick, but because he lived. Health is his way of adapting to this mortal world. And the better (stronger) his health was, the better his illness will be (it will quickly develop and quickly kill a person).
You will easily remember such quick deaths. “How is it? He was so healthy, did not get sick, - and - once he died. Certainly. Was very healthy. When the pendulum swung the other way, he became very sick. That didn't last. "Not very healthy" people live much longer than just healthy people.
So one is dead. But there is one who remained, and he does not want to suffer, as well as cry, be sad, and so on. And he doesn't want to suffer. He takes the plumb line of the pendulum and from the extreme right position "severe suffering" pulls it down, where he forcibly holds it - in the same "golden mean" - with both hands. Don't let yourself suffer. And - oops! Everything is great in a month. No sadness, no joy.
And after a year or two, he says: "they say, life is boring and there is no point." Naturally. Life can only be lived. What does "live" mean? It means to feel everything that life throws up, to live through all your experiences and feelings. There is nothing more reasonable to do in this life.
Because, if you don’t live anything at all, then it remains to wait for death, somehow, from time to time, entertaining yourself with something. Almost like waiting in line at the clinic: boring, nothing to do and a long wait. You can read a book, you can draw a picture on the glass with your finger, you can call someone and torment him with your boredom. Yes, you yourself know.
You can, of course, do something very productively - raise children, fight for world peace, legislate or write books, giving all these activities different interesting meanings. This does not change the essence of the matter. If you do not live (feel) life, then all the same, neither the process, nor the results, nor “almost found the meaning of almost life” will not save you in any way. So, slightly distracted from standing in line for the next world.
"How to live when it hurts?" - you can ask. I answer. Deep and how much you can endure. With satisfaction and anticipation. If it hurts, then it was once cool. And there will definitely be more.
Believe me, if you are mentally hurt, it means that you once received a lot of good things. Plus, if you can be very hurt, it means that the brightest pleasures of this life are available to you. And if not, then no.
If you look closely, it turns out that any of our manifestations - they are equal to their opposites, in intensity, in size and scope. “Equal in modulus,” say those who are familiar with mathematics at school.
And if there is a lot of kindness in you, then there is just as much malice. If there is a lot of desire to obey, then there is a lot of desire to rule. If there is a lot of courage, then there is a lot of fear. Etc. And that's okay.
It's just that the other side of the pendulum often turns out to be very securely hidden in the shadows just because someone once thought it was not normal. In the metaphor of a pendulum - as if the plumb line flew to the left, and there it hung. That is, he did not hang himself, but someone diligently supports him. Society first, and then the individual himself.
Outwardly, it looks like a frozen smile, which has already turned into a grimace and expresses anything, but not what its owner would like.
If a person is not satisfied with this, then he can go to a psychologist for help, and say - it doesn’t matter what exactly, well, let’s say: “Something I’m too angry, afraid, guilty, ashamed, etc. Of course, I am an educated person, and I know that I cannot get rid of feelings, so let's look for the Golden Mean - to feel a little of everything and in the subject.
Basically, he wants to get rid of it. But in a smart way. Nothing, it's also normal - to want to solve everything in the usual way. And the method that I will offer you is not the usual one. He's ugly and difficult. But efficient.
And I will suggest, firstly, to recognize that there is a second half, the polar one that you present.
Example: "I'm terribly angry." Sooner or later you will have to admit that you have dofiga and kindness. Secondly, I will propose to admit that it will not be possible to get rid of one half - either from both, or we leave both.
Let's leave it. How to live with it? And here, - thirdly, - I will propose to reconsider the metaphor of the pendulum and take the Y axis as a working model. Where from -10 to 0 is evil, and from 0 to + 10 is good. Represented? Fine.
Now you have to literally manually investigate where, when, how and why ALL points from -10 to + 10 are needed. This is not an easy stage. We will have to find out experimentally - with whom, how and what works and what does not. As a result, we get the very “healthy flexibility” declared in the title, or you can also say “the ability to creative adaptation”.
Hooray! You can drink champagne and enjoy both your super-malice in defending your own interests, and generosity and unprecedented kindness to those who are dear to you. And no middle ground.
The most observant ones may be indignant and say that while it is convenient for me, I refer to the metaphor of an uncontrolled pendulum, and when it is not convenient, I switch to a controlled “Y axis”?! And so it is.
Until a person realizes that he has a “shadow”, a polarity, this part is forced out into the unconscious.
Outwardly, this is a pendulum fixed at one of the extreme points on the left or right. If, God forbid, let go, it will fly uncontrollably - in the opposite direction (say, from the position "I'm on a diet" to the position "I gorge myself like a camel").
After a couple of such terrifying flights, a person decides to “look for the golden mean”, that is, he will try to hang on a plumb line so that he will never move anywhere else. Or quite a bit.
If a person realizes that he is different, and that if he has a “day”, then there is a polar “night” for him, in this case he gets the opportunity to learn how to use ALL points of this scale for himself and others for the good.
This is where the pendulum ceases to be a pendulum, turning into a completely reasonable scale, on which there is always an internally justified, harmonious movement, simply because there is no point in hanging in one place for a long time.
P.s. Can you guess how it turns out that the more mistakes a person makes in life, the more discoveries and discoveries he has?