INKLINGS: The Golden Mean

Aristotle… I suppose my father sent you.

Yes, Alexander, he tells me that you seem troubled…unhappy.

Is it any surprise? Every day he betrays his people.

Harsh words Alexander. And unjustified too.

But it’s a son’s duty to tell the truth, Aristotle. As a philosopher, you should know that.

And a son’s duty is also to show respect. Listen, your father has already subdued Athens and Thebes. He has finally brought the city states together… your inheritance.

But he leaves Sparta to its own devices, allowed to continue to conspire against us.

I agree, Alexander. The Spartans remain a thorn in our side. Yet I believe the king is wise to stay his hand… to recognise the limits of his power.

Limits of power. It sounds like my father, the great Philip of Macedon, has lost his ambition.

On the contrary, he has simply followed the golden mean.

I don’t understand.

Alexander, the happy man, the virtuous man, is he who preserves the golden mean between the two extremes… who steers a middle course between the shoals that threaten, on either side, to wreck his happiness. In every sense, the rational way of life is to do nothing too much or too little, but to adopt the middle course. So you see, the golden mean is the royal road to happiness.

Well then, Aristotle, tell me, as my tutor, where does that leave me? Should I simply hide behind my father’s reputation?

No, Alexander, you should not. Remember, you are cut from different cloth. Your golden mean beats within a different heart, one where you must fulfil a different destiny. To be more than Alexander… but to become Alexander the Great.

So, what are you saying, that I must defeat Sparta first and leave Egypt for later?

Of course, if that is what your middle course dictates.

But where does that leave Persia? You know she remains our greatest threat.

I agree, King Darius must be brought to heel. But first things first. There will be plenty of time to bring him to his knees, and then take stock.

So it’s back to taking the middle course… the golden mean… is that really the recipe behind your success?

Of course, Alexander. As a Macedonian living in Athens, and as a junior member of Plato’s Academy, I faced many enemies who were only too willing to cut me down to size.

So how did you overcome them?

By making alliances, Alexander. And by quietly detecting their weaknesses.

Playing a waiting game then.

Naturally. To become a student known for quiet contemplation and observation. And one always willing to take wise counsel. It ensured my survival in dangerous waters.

But Aristotle, you have already said that I am cut from a different cloth. Conquest before counsel. In any case, you must accept that all the lands to the east remain our greatest prize.

Perhaps, but the success of that enterprise, my boy, is in the lap of the Gods.

Anthony Viney is a member of the Inklings Writing Group, which meets every Tuesday at 10.30am in the Annebrook House Hotel.