How to turn vices into virtues

The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle is one of history's most influential thinkers. Born in 384 BCE, he studied under Plato and later tutored Alexander the Great. One of his contributions to philosophy is the concept of the Golden Mean. The Golden Mean is the moderation of vices, making them virtues. A balance between extremes. Aristotle said that virtue lies between deficiency and excess. For instance, courage is a virtue between the vices of recklessness and cowardice. The reckless person acts regardless of risk. While the coward avoids risk altogether. The courageous person balances the two. Facing danger with the right amount of fear and confidence. The virtue of generosity is the mean of the two vices of wastefulness and stinginess. Modesty is between shamelessness and bashfulness. Confidence balances arrogance and insecurity. Many people go through opposite extremes during their lives to gain perspective and understanding of the perfect median. Aristotle's Golden Mean emerged from his broader investigation into human happiness. He believed that eudaimonia, or happiness, required living with virtue. Virtue, in turn, was about finding the appropriate mean in various aspects of life. This balance was not a strict middle point but was context-dependent, varying from person to person and situation to situation. This variation is due to differences in individual characteristics. These can include things like temperament, physical condition, social circumstances, and life experiences. For example, the right amount of food for an athlete in training would be different for a sedentary person. Level of generosity will be relative to a person's resources. The amount of courage needed by a soldier will be different from that of a civilian.