The Importance of the Golden Mean

“Daedalus represented the golden mean in Greek thinking…reasonable and moderate”

I think that the golden mean is one of the most important ideas taken from ancient Greek civilization that is still used in society today. It applies to many different aspects of life. Yes, we do have to take risks sometimes, but the message is that one must not go overboard. Daedalus is the perfect example of what can happen if one is reasonable in their thinking. He was able to become a very well rounded person by trying new things, but not too fast, or all at once. Icarus, on the other hand, tried to do too much too quickly. The golden mean is an inspiring idea, and I think that if we moderate our risk taking and spend time to properly think things through instead of trying to do too much at once, all of us can become successful people who contribute to society and achieve great things. Nevertheless because of human nature, we will always want to do more, have more, and take big risks because of the thrill and emotion. Also, sometimes people must take drastic risks in life in order to improve their poor living status.

On the other hand, it is not good to not take any risk at all in life. The golden mean just wants us to moderate these risks, and I interpret this as taking risks on a "smaller scale". The quote "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take," by Wayne Gretzky, relates to this. I look at this quote for inspiration when it comes to taking risks regarding "smaller scale" things such as sports and academics.