Pursue Arete, not the illusion of success.

 Pursue Arete, not the illusion of success.


Everyone wants to be better than others and pursues growth. It is the same attribute that mankind naturally pursued regardless of the changes of the times, whether in the East or the West.


In the old days, outstanding philosophers pursued the moral perfection of 'sexuality' or 'excellence'. But, then and today, as well, most people focus on acquiring more worldly values.


At the end of the fierce pursuit of excellence such as 'success', like the struggle for survival, there is usually a sense of emptiness. It is not only about falling behind because of failure, but also about gaining an edge in the competition and rising to a high position. If you fail, you suffer from a sense of guilt and inferiority, and even if you succeed, you suffer from an insatiable desire to rise to a higher position with the anxiety that you may one day fall.


​

To achieve peace and stability of mind, the most important thing to pursue is the excellent and capable qualities of things or people, that is, arete. In a narrow sense, it is moral excellence.


The first step to going to Arete is to abandon greed, and in the case of the West, true conviction. If you can continue on that path without change, even if you haven't reached the level of an adult, you won't be defeated by the illusion of success.

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