The Art of Balance
And New Ideas for a New Time
by
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There is a quote I once read by Blaise Pascal which reads "I do not admire the excess of some one virtue unless I am shown at the same time the excess of the opposite virtue. A man does not prove his greatness by standing at an extremity, but by touching both extremities at once and filling all that lies between them". I found myself thinking "wait, isn't the opposite of a virtue a vice?". I had to think more. What I came to realize is that there are some virtues that literally result in the opposite behavior, yet in neither case becoming in the least reprehensible. One example would be Temperance and Boldness. Temperance leads us to remain silent or still when we ought to, yet Boldness leads us to take action when we should take it. Quite opposite in practice, yet they are both useful and we ought to have both...
In generations past, there have been philosophers who have asked the most dangerous questions. They have searched down to the very brass tacks of life to find what every man and every woman can relate to. Today such individuals are a precious few. What we want is a lack of bias. What we need is empathy for every perspective and worldview. We desire some new ideas. Today we have so many easy answers, but what we need are better questions.
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About the Book
In this book, you will find an insightful look into several subjects and ideas, things you find in the everyday as well as the deeply philosophical, presented in a way you may never have heard before. In our time, we often find ourselves on one extreme or the other, politically, ideologically, religiously, making relationships difficult. This book attempts to tackle some of the things hiding behind these differences in an attempt to find cohesion rather than dispute.
Another issue in our time is the way authority often behaves and our reaction to it. Teachers often tell us what to think, rather than how to think. We are told to believe something, not because we’ve been told why it’s believable but simply because they say so. Our reaction has been blunt, brutal honesty, as well as skepticism. A decent response to make, though it additionally separates us from one another. This book is an attempt to do some right where much has gone wrong, discussing ideas rather than forcing ideologies.
Come away from this book with lots of new ideas and much to ponder.
About the Author
Adam Poelstra is a layman and amateur whose growing reputation as an objective and rational thinker has convinced him he has something good to share with the world. Steeping himself in authors such as C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton, he loves thinking in and outside the box. He works with his family in their organic and natural food business Taste of Life, which they own and run in Monument, Colorado.