THERE is 'polarity' in everyday life. We use this terminology in all sorts of ways to discuss and comment about life: illness and health, life and death, good and evil, high and low, big and small, loud and quiet. When things get extreme, much hurt occurs.

Aristotle, the Greek philosopher who lived around 300 BC, provided an answer to the problem.

According to Aristotle (with the help of Bertrand Russell in his History of Western Philosophy): "Courage is a mean between cowardice and rashness; proper pride between vanity and humility; ready wit between buffoonery and boorishness; modesty between bashfulness and shamelessness."

The 'mean'' as stated by Aristotle, is some kind of 'middle' place. In Aristotelian philosophy, this idea is known as the 'Golden Mean'.

Could this idea then be useful in modern politics? 'Moderation'' as recommended by Aristotle, would be someplace in the middle' between total inactivity and extreme violence.

In practical terms, one could then aspire to general humanist and metaphysical ideals in a general way while avoiding the extremes of absolutism, exclusion and violence at one extreme and the opposite extreme of inactivity, uninvolvement and wishful thinking on the other.

Michael Timlin, Quignalecka, Ballina, Co Mayo.

Yes Orianna, there is a Ross O'Carroll Kelly

IS THERE really a Ross O'Carroll Kelly? Yes, OMG there so is a ROSS O'CARROLL KELLY, and he is basically a legend. He exists as certainly as affluence, D4, dubes and 3m cat boxes in Foxrock exist, and you know that they give to your life the same happiness as gunning through Tallafornia in a Aston Martin DB 9 yelling "Eat the Poor". Alas! How dreary would be the world if there was no ROCK. It would be as dreary as if there were no rugby. No Leinster, no S's, no Drico to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, roysh, except in the sight of the peasants heading back across the Liffey. The eternal light with which the feeling of superiority fills the world would be extinguished. In a country where your lifeexpectancy, education and employment prospects are determined by your old pair's address, how could he not exist?

Not believe in Ross O'CarrollKelly, roysh? You might as well not believe in privilege! You might hit every cool club and hot watering hole on the southside this yuletide and not catch sight of the Man's cream docker chinos (and believe me Sorcha has so done this), but what would that prove?

Ross O'Carroll Kelly will exist, roysh, as long as selfindulgence, trust funds and indolence exist. While the doors of BT2 remain open, he will exist. Wherever bogball is scorned and fee-paying schools have charitable status, he will be there. When you can point out a Celtic jersey on Grafton street, and a SWAT team will be there in under three minutes, so also will Ross.

As long as the Pres Bray, CBS Monkstown and Kilkenny teams are rightly thrashed by southside schools and denied the hottest southside babes, he will be there.

When you wear your Leinster jersey or exclusive school colours with pride and collar popped you attest to his existence. Each over-priced Storbucks beverage consumed validates the Legend. When government ministers believe that inequality is good for the economy, the ROCK will never perish.

Ross O'Carroll-Kelly lives and will continue to make glad the hearts of southside babes as long as the country's top earners pay no tax and a decent pair of Dubes costs more then your average social welfare payment to Jacinta and the result of her six little fumbles in a hedge.

Lorcan Dunne, lml@gofree. indigo. ie

Sanctions on the vulnerable's valuables

A GOVERNMENT with absolutely no vision or any longterm future strategy for the nation. It is incapable of managing health, communications, or legislating for the protection of children and it now wishes to impose on another sector of the vulnerable, our elderly.

These citizens paid dearly for and contributed wholeheartedly towards the building of a modern, prosperous Ireland, and now this bland coalition wishes to affect their most cherished possession (if they have one left), their family home. Out, out, out, I say!

Keith Nolan, Caldra House, Caldragh, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim.

Bland budget geared towards election

LAST week, the government claimed they would not try to buy the election with a giveaway budget. But of course no one ever believed that before that budget and certainly not after.

Shortly before Brian Cowen took the stage, we were told that we had 3.7bn more in the purse than previously thought, leaving many of us to believe that the government has been more careful with our money this year whereas in reality the government took an unprecedented amount of money from us in tax this year and didn't even realise it.

Everyone shouting loud enough for a few bucks was silenced. No, the government says, this is not a 'buy-the-election budget' but if you made enough noise and gave out enough in the media then you were appeased. From old-age pensioners, to parents, to mothers to be, to the sick, there was money for all. Of course, let's not go into the pittance some actually received; if you asked for it, you got it.

Health was one that we all knew was going to be increased; it seems to be clear government policy to throw money at a problem and hope that it goes away.

No mention of those who lie on trolleys in hospitals all over the country, no mention of those who have to wait months if not years for an appointment with a specialist, no mention of the MRSA scandal in our hospitals.

No mention as to how the extra funding was going to solve these problems. No, just throw 900m of taxpayers' money at the problem and a few monitoring groups.

This government pledged its commitment to the environment. The change in the current rating system in VRT and plans to rebalance motor tax to encourage motorists to drive more environmentally friendly cars seemed all very positive until Brian Cowen announced that the target date for the introduction of these measures would be 2008, and of course there would be a public consultation process in the meantime.

As for first-time buyers, well Brian Cowen sure showed the PDs who wears the pants. No, they need to keep taking, what will amount to this year, 4bn from first-time buyers. The government decided to give them instead just enough tax relief to prevent the ECB interest rate increase crippling people at Christmas.

So even though the opposition may have been accused of clutching at straws when they said this budget lacked imagination, one has to ask, where is the vision or imagination in this budget? Where is this government's vision for the country gone? Did it ever really exist?

Where are the people who told us they had initiative for this country?

That was the blandest, most election-geared budget I have ever seen.

Caitriona Fitzpatrick Elvaston, Marble Hall Park, Douglas Road, Cork

Drug users supporting gangland killings

AMID all the shock horror and condemnation that has followed the latest gangland murder, we should remember that the killers did not act alone. In addition to the evil thugs who ordered the killing, there was a large silent army of accomplices. These are people who probably don't even think of their involvement in the murderf of their share in the responsibility for the grief and tragedy that the killers inflicted.

I refer to the drug users, many of them from 'respectable' non crime-ridden areas, whose stupid, dangerous habit directly finances and supports gangland activity.

Anyone reading this who injects heroin or swallows an ecstasy tablet at a party could share in the blame for a future gangland murder.

Anyone snorting cocaine for a laugh must share in the moral responsibility when the gang that made the drug available decides to kill somebody.

The net of responsibility and complicity can be cast even wider. How many times in the past could a drug baron or one of the lower ranking dealers or suppliers have been apprehendedf if only a so-called 'respectable' citizen had bothered to report a vital piece of information to the gardai?

Anyone withholding such information on any aspect of the murderous drug abuse business is facilitating this cancer in our society. I suggest that your readers pick up the phone right now if they have heard or seen

ANYTHING that might help the gardai on this life and death issue.

Such an act, or gesture, would be worth more in terms of peace and goodwill to decent people than a thousand Christmas presents.

John Fitzgerald, Lower Coyne Street, Callan, Co Kilkenny.