Neither more nor less

In offering worship, sandalwood paste symbolises the earth; flowers symbolise the sky, incense the air and the lamp is the fire. The folded hands and the prostrate body become a veneration to all the things in nature which are not yet cognizable but within us and part of us. In tune with this, it is believed that harmony and happiness for which everyone strives is also derived from nature, observing and inferring from it and shaping life accordingly.

Indian as well as Greek philosophers observed that in keeping with what one sees in nature, both excess and deficiency must be avoided. Excessive rainfall causes floods while a deficiency brings drought. In pursuit of pleasure, power and acquisition one moves towards excesses. The decadence, violence and inequality which this brings cause nothing but misery and strife in society. Similarly, denials or restrictions which are very harsh, whether imposed upon oneself or by a regime, often end in cruelty and abuse. Excess and deficiency both do not deliver the well-being for which the action was undertaken.

If happiness does not result from pleasure, power or acquisition, nor does it come from restrictions. What is the action that gives inner peace to an individual and makes society sustainable? The Greeks argued that it was virtue, both personal and in governance. Virtue was essentially a good quality and behaviour which reflected high moral standards. It was defined as a mean between two excesses. These concepts would vary from time to time and between different places so there would always be a subjective judgement. The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, a Stoic philosopher, held that the disposition to behave in the right manner was a mean between two excesses both of which in themselves were vices.

This is not a compromise or adjustment. It is a refined judgement in keeping with the position of the person and the work or duty one is expected to perform. Indian thought of that period also held that moral behaviour was not the same as that of a holy man. While the ruler could not do away completely with violence it would be wrong for those devoted to learning or contemplation to even think of violence. Such fine-tuning even today helps in keeping the mind in check. The key to happiness is neither more nor less.