INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC ACADEMY 7th JOINT - IOA

obtain a new horizon of our own lives which is similar to the feeling
of happiness or accomplishment.
The life in which the individual perfection (excellence) is filled
with acts (έργον) is the life in ARETÉ. It does not matter if people win
in the Olympic Games or not or if they have all hands and legs.
ARETÉ belongs to each of us separately; it is not a concept reserved
only for the best champions.
The care of the mind
Taking care of the mind means to open new horizons (wholes),
which are transcending for our mind to meet the whole (according to
Plato’s concept, meet the goodness – αγαθόν). Also, it is important to
live according to our own basis (essence) or our own source - only
then will we be free. It means to set a point to establish distance form
the physical needs or for our own way of thinking and feelings. It is
necessary to be critical to the public meaning. How? To criticize,
discuss, so put every problem to question. A mythical man does not
live from himself but from external relations. It is indifferent if he
commits himself to the ancient gods or to some theory of economical
growth or to anything else. To live from your own source means to
have courage to be different and to be able to stand alone far from the
fame and rewards of people.
The care of the mind is just this inner source from which ARETÉ
rises. The German philosopher Schelling wrote: ‘Only a man who
explored himself and who knows in the depth of life who left
everything and who was with everything left, this man met infinite –
this is a great step which Plató compared with death’. (Weischedel,
1992)
ARETÉ to each of us is inimitable. Everyone has to find ARETÉ
in himself. This is not anything else but realization of ARETÉ in the
concrete life. Not to have the possibility to realize our own ARETÉ
leads to the sorrow, sometimes to try to escape from this sorrow. The
life’s right form must be sucked as meat of the nut. This principle
should support the entire education, having physical education as its
important element.
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