Moderation is the Key...or Is It?

Never go to excess, but let moderation be your guide.
--Marcus Tullius Cicero

I think that this quote from Cicero is particularly amusing, considering the decadence for which Romans were known, overall. On my iGoogle page this morning, I found an article entitled "How to Cook Like a Roman: 8 Steps (with video)," and of course, I had to click it (the how-to article of the day). It was certainly entertaining, and I also found the idea of creating a dinner party or banquet in authentic Roman style to be stimulating. 


I agree with moderation in principle. In essence, I try to avoid extremes of consumption, and usually, extremes of opinion. However, I think there are times and places to take a stand (possibly inciting an extreme of opinion). Not that said stand would ever necessarily reflect any sociocultural norms, but if it did, then so be it.


Then there are the fluctuations from moderation in consumption, whether it be food, alcohol, computer games, reading, television, or any other type of substance/experience. Most of these fluctuations are related to our hedonistic natures, and thus, logical thought is often circumvented in order to accept our personal levels of consumption. Most people eventually learn to moderate, simply for their own physical or mental health. When we no longer have parents controlling us, that moderation has to come from ourselves (and in some cases legal considerations are pressure factors), but typically, people learn to moderate by their late twenties, if not before.  


Okay, I think I got lost in the description of the issue. Randomosity and all that. My point is that moderation is my modus operandi--most of the time. Because, it makes sense and works for me. As ancient Greek philosopher Democritus put it, "Throw moderation to the winds, and the greatest pleasures bring the greatest pains."  And who truly wants "the greatest pains?"

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