just wait and see

Arete is a term from Ancient Greece that means to being the best you can be, or reach your highest human potential. The ancient society revolved around this idea and is emphasized in their Homeric heroes. Odysseus for example is a very skilled fighter, has incredible strength and courage, is a brilliant strategist, can keep his end in poetry and the fine arts, and is a model husband.

My interpretation of it is that any form of mediocrity is not accepted; it’s not okay to be lacking in any area. It doesn’t mean be perfect but at least be good enough to understand what is going on.

Arete is a dead concept in modern society.

Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance (ZAMM) suggests that this is because of the cultural focus on efficiency. Being well-rounded means that less time is dedicated to perfecting a single area of expertise. This focus means that our society has developed exponentially but it has caused  us to be ignorant in areas that do not directly affect our lives.

Take the split between the left and the right-brained people (the artistic vs the logical). Some people cannot understand technology because they never bothered learning how a computer works and don’t care about it. Others can’t understand abstract art because the creative hemisphere of their brain is underdeveloped.

The lack of understanding causes a split in the human personalities because one hemisphere of the brain dominates. Achieving a balance between the two hemispheres is a high form of self-actualization and makes you wiser (Using techniques of one industry to innovate another).

The other problem from focusing on efficiency relates to the corporate world, anything non-profitable and inefficient gets cut even if it is something amazing (Like helping 3rd world countries, stopping pollution, or creating cheap, high quality products).

ZAMM recognizes that those who promoted the focus on efficiency (Socrates and Aristotle) did it for a noble purpose, it made satisfying basic human needs (like food and shelter) easier for the population. However today basic human needs are guaranteed and the costs of being super efficient (Pollution) is the bigger problem.

Its time to revive the idea of arete and stop being mediocre.