Comments on: Lessons from the Inner World of Dexter Morgan Part I: The Middle 50% http://jewneric.com/lessons-from-the-inner-world-of-dexter-morgan-part-i-the-middle-50/2007/12/29/ A New Platform for the Jewish Voice Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:05:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Chayim Newman http://jewneric.com/lessons-from-the-inner-world-of-dexter-morgan-part-i-the-middle-50/2007/12/29/comment-page-1/#comment-73 Chayim Newman Tue, 01 Jan 2008 18:45:24 +0000 http://jewneric.com/lessons-from-the-inner-world-of-dexter-morgan-part-i-the-middle-50/2007/12/29/#comment-73 Thank you for your thoughts, Moshe. A couple of points for clarification: 1) Obviously, you're referring to the Rambam's discussion about the "Golden Road" in Hilchos De'os. What the Rambam espouses there is a universal concept common to many religions and worldviews, the concept of Balance. Maimonides suggests a life of balance and moderation; everything in its place and its time. However, he does not suggest that one ignore the extremes nor judge or vilify them. Rather, for most of one's life, it is healthier in terms of behavior, to live in a balance somewhere towards the middle, rather than toward the extremes, according to the Rambam. 2) In sharing my thoughts on the Middle 50%, if you have another look, you'll see as well, that I don't suggest that individuals act on their darkest impulses and feelings. That would lead to a dangerous world. However, should we choose to ignore the extremes within our personality or to misidentify them as a illegitimate part of our psyche, we pathologize them and set the table for much damage later on. Thus, the goal is to Confront. Acknowledge. Accept. All parts of our being. And in doing so, we allow for a life lived, behaviorally, on the "Golden Road" that subsumes all of our internal world; a balance between the 0-100 of our continuum, rather than a balance merely inclusive of some narrow sliver of ourselves. 3) The Rambam himself writes, several paragraphs later, that the truly righteous - those who lived their lives once with authentic courage - lived closer to the extremes than to the Middle 50%. Doing so is a fine art. One that takes much wisdom, guidance, and self-work. but it is attainable. And it is where heroes arise. I'm not suggesting that all of us live in our extreme places, today. Rather, that we begin to consider those parts of ourselves as being, well, parts of ourselves. And that we have the courage to face that within us that we'd like to face least. Thank you for your thoughts, Moshe. A couple of points for clarification:

1) Obviously, you’re referring to the Rambam’s discussion about the “Golden Road” in Hilchos De’os. What the Rambam espouses there is a universal concept common to many religions and worldviews, the concept of Balance. Maimonides suggests a life of balance and moderation; everything in its place and its time. However, he does not suggest that one ignore the extremes nor judge or vilify them. Rather, for most of one’s life, it is healthier in terms of behavior, to live in a balance somewhere towards the middle, rather than toward the extremes, according to the Rambam.

2) In sharing my thoughts on the Middle 50%, if you have another look, you’ll see as well, that I don’t suggest that individuals act on their darkest impulses and feelings. That would lead to a dangerous world. However, should we choose to ignore the extremes within our personality or to misidentify them as a illegitimate part of our psyche, we pathologize them and set the table for much damage later on. Thus, the goal is to Confront. Acknowledge. Accept. All parts of our being. And in doing so, we allow for a life lived, behaviorally, on the “Golden Road” that subsumes all of our internal world; a balance between the 0-100 of our continuum, rather than a balance merely inclusive of some narrow sliver of ourselves.

3) The Rambam himself writes, several paragraphs later, that the truly righteous - those who lived their lives once with authentic courage - lived closer to the extremes than to the Middle 50%.

Doing so is a fine art. One that takes much wisdom, guidance, and self-work. but it is attainable. And it is where heroes arise. I’m not suggesting that all of us live in our extreme places, today. Rather, that we begin to consider those parts of ourselves as being, well, parts of ourselves. And that we have the courage to face that within us that we’d like to face least.

]]> By: Moshe Glasser http://jewneric.com/lessons-from-the-inner-world-of-dexter-morgan-part-i-the-middle-50/2007/12/29/comment-page-1/#comment-71 Moshe Glasser Tue, 01 Jan 2008 17:13:14 +0000 http://jewneric.com/lessons-from-the-inner-world-of-dexter-morgan-part-i-the-middle-50/2007/12/29/#comment-71 Just to give your point some Jewish bent, the Rambam (Maimonides) fascinated a good friend of mine while in yeshiva in Israel, as he discovered a new way of looking at the extremes of life. Instead of heading to religious or moral extremes (as some members of our community have done in an attempt to achieve religious perfection) the Rambam recommends that we take the middle path, which I assume is the Middle 50% you describe. Beyond that, the Rambam explains that if we find ourselves on one extreme, we need to balance. You cannot balance a beam on the right by shifting it to the middle; you must balance it by shifting it to the left. Heading to one extreme from the other lands you back in the middle. The Rambam's message is clear. Your extremes are necessary parts of your personality. To deny them use is to deny God's plan in creating them within you., Every emotion - dark as it may be - has its place. Our role is to understand the moments when extremes become necessary to allow us to live lives of fulfillment and happiness. Just to give your point some Jewish bent, the Rambam (Maimonides) fascinated a good friend of mine while in yeshiva in Israel, as he discovered a new way of looking at the extremes of life. Instead of heading to religious or moral extremes (as some members of our community have done in an attempt to achieve religious perfection) the Rambam recommends that we take the middle path, which I assume is the Middle 50% you describe. Beyond that, the Rambam explains that if we find ourselves on one extreme, we need to balance. You cannot balance a beam on the right by shifting it to the middle; you must balance it by shifting it to the left. Heading to one extreme from the other lands you back in the middle.
The Rambam’s message is clear. Your extremes are necessary parts of your personality. To deny them use is to deny God’s plan in creating them within you., Every emotion - dark as it may be - has its place. Our role is to understand the moments when extremes become necessary to allow us to live lives of fulfillment and happiness.

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