a little philosophy?

I'm always a mix of intimidated and inspired by students...my students, college students, graduate students...anyone still in school. I love school life. I don't love school. I love students - especially my students - but I don't want to be a student anymore! Well, not in the traditional sense. I don't want to study from a book or have tests or be graded. I want to have the sort of learning experiences that I have in my job everyday, that I have from my friends everyday, and that I had on four college campuses over the past two days. I suppose I'm a real experiential learner - I want to learn from doing; I want to learn from being inspired; I want to learn because I'm curious.
These past couple of days here in Dallas-Ft. Worth, I've spent time with colleagues from other high schools and college admissions officers from four local schools. I've gotten to talk to students who are enrolled at SMU, TCU, Austin College, and the University of Dallas. And, overall, I am in awe. I am amazed by what they have accomplished. I'm impressed by their ability to articulate their passions. And I'm taken aback at their sense of purpose in this world. I was never that sophisticated or "together" in college! (Or after college?!)
And while I find that sometimes these visits and these interactions can make me feel completely inadequate, there was a concept today that one of the school presidents talked about that just made utter and complete sense to me.
I've never studied much philosophy. Frankly, it confuses me. I'm not that "deep" of a thinker unless it involves people and then I can "philosophize" until I'm blue in the face! But at one school today, the school president talked about the teachings of Aristotle and while I'm sure I missed a good part of what he said, one concept he talked about clicked with me - arete. It's the idea of being the best that you can be or reaching your highest human potential. It goes hand in hand with Aristotle's conversations about how to live a "good life". The term is often linked with "goodness", "excellence", and "virtue".
Before I try to get too deep...translation: before I completely botch this concept even more!...I'll put it in the language that I understand more clearly. I think this is the age old question...are we being the best we can be? Are we living life to the fullest? Are we living a life that we're proud of? Are we living a life that serves others? Are we living a life that is meaningful?
Answers on another night...for now, that's enough deep thinking to make my head just barely begin to ache. (And I have a 4 a.m. taxi tomorrow...headed home...yeah!)