adamia

I used to say on a semi-regular basis, “In all areas of life, the answer seems to lie in the middle of two extremes.” I thought it to be a pearl nugget of ultimate wisdom. I now understand a deeper (and potentially superior) concept: in some areas of life, the answer can lie in a process whose average value is the center of two extremes, but the process itself comprises regular oscillation between the two extremes. For a mathematical demonstration of the concept, picture the graph of cosine(x). The average value taken to infinity is zero.

The former concept of choosing a static answer in the middle, while often valid, only applies to static obstacles. Due to the cyclic nature of life itself (see the "Cyclic Nature of Theory of Practice"), many difficulties encountered in life require adaptive, dynamic solutions that oscillate between two extremes. Each extreme counters the current difficult obstacle life threw at it.

For an excellent example/application of this principle, read "Types of Converts: Exploders and Rocks." I conclude with a twist of irony based on the theory/practice cycle: my realization of this concept demonstrates my graduation into a later cycle of theory than the one I was in when I first learned the static form.