There is great pressure to attain the highest level of achievement. By satisfying our vanity(虚荣)we do ourselves more harm than good. The only way to achieve sustainable happiness is to practice the Golden Mean.

　　The idea of the Golden Mean has existed for thousands of years. It is at the centre of both Eastern and Western philosophy and has more influence than the teachings of Aristotle and Confucius. The idea is simple. Every quality has extremes at both ends. The Golden Mean is the natural balance between these extremes. At this harmonious point goodness and beauty are achieved.

　　Socrates used the example of extreme devotion to athletics versus(与…相比)extreme devotion to music to illustrate this idea. The athlete becomes overly aggressive and cruel, while the musician becomes overly soft and womanish. The ideal is someone who practices both athletics and music and acquires a harmonious mixture of both qualities.

　　Consider an example from modern times that I’m sure everyone has observed. The first person is extremely career-driven. Each day he focuses on advancing himself. He spends long hours at the office, competes mercilessly with his coworkers, and flatters his superiors. As a result he has almost no personal life. The second person’s only pursuit is leisure. He likes to waste time with his friends watching television and playing video games.

　　Which of these persons is superior? Many people would argue for the hard worker. But at second glance his life is rather cold. His obsession(痴迷)with success has conflicted with his coworkers and left him without a family. He may become rich, but how will he enjoy it? The second man is no better. He has wasted his life in laziness. He has refused to develop himself and exists as a lazybones. Both men are worthy of pity.

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