What does the middle path mean?
You might be wondering what this obscure middle~path business is about. This is a core tenet of buddhism. What does that have to do with technology and the future?
I’m going to start to explain that here.
The middle path is a carefully navigated and thoughtful path that is between the extremes.
The extremes, in buddhist thinking, are extreme hedonism (fulfilling all your desires) and extreme ascetism (fulfilling no desires). Either of these extemes have their own problems.
The middle path is a way to chart a path between these extremes, and still live a good life. Think of the middle path as not just between the extremes in two-dimensional sense, but as the middle path is a path at a higher level that embraces both extremes. (As in, you stel up a level of abstraction, change your thinking, embrace both extremes as a part of a high level model).
Now, how does this apply to technology, particularly new technology?
Start by thinking about having it all. Every new thing, every bleeding-edge device you can — mobiles, PDAs, laptops, supecomputers, a fancy car, a very complex website,… All of this stuff takes time and money to buy, fix, maintain and use and may not really improve your quality of life.
Imagine having nothing. No technology at all. If we go right to base of things, that means no fire, no clothes, no tools. Some might say this is pure and natural. To me it sounds like hard work, and certainly not a quality of life that I would be prepared to accept.
There is a way between to two that best meets our needs. You might want to say a ‘compromise’ but I’d put it a bit differently. I don’t like the work compromise, as it seems to imply that we are losing something by choosing the middle path. Let’s throw that word away for now. Aspects of each of these extremes are applicable to our best middle path.
I want to learn how to pick the best aspects of each in a knowing way. And that is really why I started writing this blog.
You can pick any set of extremes and apply this kind of thinking. Try really, really hard to avoid thinking that you are losing something by taking the middle path.
Love your words Gra. They make so much sense. Head and heart working together.
Keem them coming!
Please let me know when you update this blog… or am I meant to just think to pop back nownagain…?
Can’t wait to hear about the BBC stuff. Too cool for words and about time too.
L
Um this looks old … anything available in 2004?
hi,
i want to know the application and the relevence of the Middle Path Theory in todays context, throught business case studies or other such relevent examples.
its urgent. thanks.
hi,
i want to know the application and the relevence of the Middle Path Theory in todays context, throught business case studies or other such relevent examples.
its urgent. thanks.