Limitation and Moderation

This Saturday, my parents will be attending a belly-dancing show. For those who are unfamiliar, it consists of people going out on stage and performing dances that involve the gut muscles (hence, why "belly" appears in the name). This will also be a good opportunity to meet up with my sister, who (while not dancing this time around) will be working as an usher/ticket taker. I have attended past shows and enjoyed them, certainly, though I won't be able to attend this one. The show takes place in the evening, and the morning of the same day, I am scheduled to donate blood. If the donation goes successfully, by the time evening arrives, I will be tired and will need to take frequent bathroom breaks (due to the increased amount of liquids I will consume post-donation). It really would be for the best if I stayed home.

It occurs to me that sometimes we really are better off backing down rather than plowing forward. In a combat situation, retreating is not only a reasonable strategy, it might be the only reasonable strategy depending on how badly things are going for you and your side. In business and politics, if you want to get some big deal to go through unless you have complete (or near complete) control, you're going to have to compromise with the other side (something that politicians would do well to remember). In dining, it's a good idea to stop eating when you are no longer hungry, as overconsumption will spoil your enjoyment of the food, and possibly make yourself sick (something I was reminded of the hard way last week). Earlier today, for lunch I made myself a generous plate of penne rigate topped with a meat sauce and ate most of it. I willingly backed down, and in doing so, enjoyed my meal more than if I had continued onward (probably). Still, I do think that I overdid it; lunch was several hours ago, and I still feel as though I'm digesting it!

Moderation is a vital component in many aspects of life. The tricky part is landing in the middle ground between insufficiency and excess. In the book Harry Potter and Philosophy (an entry in the "Popular Culture and Philosophy" series, I definitely recommend looking into the series - they cover enough points in popular culture that you should be able to find something you're interested in), there is a section pertaining to virtues, in which the argument is made that virtues are not the opposite of vices, but instead are the midpoints between two vices. Trying to get something to end up towards the middle is difficult. It's far easier to have something go too far or not far enough. Though, to be fair, actually figuring out where the middle ground lies is a challenge in and of itself! And in my experience, the middle ground can be quite narrow.

Good luck out there, and try not to overdo it. Or underdo it.