Imagine being at the starting point of a race. The referee marks the start and the race begins, but you remain idle. You might face many and different obstacles, but there is always a driving force to help you overcome them and reach your destination. As in our imaginary race, so in real life we, humans, are constantly seeking for this force, the key that will lead us to achieving our goals. In TEDxAUTH, we call this power arete (Greek word for virtue), a notion with a vast philosophical background, the foundations of which are retrieved from ancient times.
One of the best known ancient Greek philosophers who dealt with the interpretation of arete was Aristotle (384-322 BC). According to him, arete is a commodity marking the path towards happiness, directly connected to human predisposition for “excellence.” Arete, as part of a virtuous action whose purpose is self-realization, includes human activity and the development of skills that will ultimately lead to the conquest of excellence.
On hearing the word “excellence” one would reasonably think of attaining perfection through their competitive spirit and excessive effort, that being the form it has taken in modern society. But according to the Aristotelian philosophy: “Excellence is an art gained by training and familiarization. We do not act rightly because we possess arete or excellence, but rather we possess them because we acted rightly. We are our repeatedly formed habits. So, excellence is not an action, but a habit.” And this habit is cultivated through the balance and logic that accompany arete.
In a nutshell, Aristotle tells us that everything starts from somewhere or rather, that in order for everything to happen, it requires a start. However, there are no right or wrong approaches on how to fuel the beginning of our quest for a “better (individual or collective) future.” Our driving force is as personal as our goals. It’s this spark that grows into fire, the snowball that turns into an avalanche, the first gear that activates the ones that follow. Some may be able to detect its exact source, whereas for others the limits appear more complex and vague. In any case, however, if we accept that Aristotelian excellence is the purpose and that arete is its starting mechanism, then, it seems that “well begun IS half done.”
Therefore, what do we truly desire?
Our younger self would probably say “to be happy.”
Our present “to be able to rely on my own strength,” “to change the world for the better,” “to defend my values.”
Our future self “to succeed”, “to do the right thing”, “to protect everything and everyone I care about.”
Then comes the next question, “why?” “Why do you desire it, why do I desire it?” Let’s take some time to think about the answer and when we find it -unless you are one of the lucky ones that already know it- we will have taken the first step towards our dreams, whatever they are. An ambitious “enarete” (virtuous) machine is activated and it would make the philosopher himself proud. Thus, we go from theory to action…
Photography by Stelios Floros, Simos Maniatis