Neither Too Much nor Too Little — Holding the Center

answered by The Doctrine of the Mean (Zhongyong)

기원전 5세기 자사 저술 전승, 남송대 사서(四書)로 독립

🎬 TODAY'S FILM — IT ASKS THIS

Sense and Sensibility (1995)

dir. Ang Lee · UK

One suppresses feeling and holds only to reason; another gives herself entirely to feeling. By reason alone or by feeling alone, love is wounded. Where should one stand between the two?

THE QUESTION THE FILM ASKS

In love, why does leaning on reason or on feeling alone leave the heart in ruins?

📜 THE CLASSIC'S ANSWER

💡 TL;DR

The Doctrine of the Mean taught that "excess is as bad as deficiency," and prized the virtue of the center that leans to neither side.

📝The Classic Answers

The Doctrine of the Mean taught that "excess is as bad as deficiency," and prized the virtue of the center that leans to neither side. In love, too, reason alone leaves the heart parched, while feeling alone loses the self. True love is the art of balance between coolness and passion. I hold that neither suppressing feeling nor being swept by it is the answer. Warm yet not tossed about, careful yet not dry — in that center love abides longest.

— ONGO · Curator

🌱Apply It Today

If in love you lean toward too much restraint or too much abandon, step once toward the other side today to find the center.

📖 Classic Source: The Doctrine of the Mean (Zhongyong).
The film is honored as an equal questioner; its plot is rendered only as a universal dilemma. The classic source is an ancient text (Public Domain), and the reflection is 100% original ONGO content.