by Anthony Megna

Created on: November 09, 2010   Last Updated: October 06, 2011

"Everything in moderation."  I used to hear this expression over and over again from my mother.  Whether this is a philosophical piece of advice or not, it is the best message she ever gave me!  Why, you may ask?  Why is moderation so important in life, shouldn't we grab for as much gusto as we can?  Why take only a slice of pie if the whole thing is available?  Isn't it better to conquer and consume the whole world?  I've found the answer to be a big, fat, NO!

Naturally when these words of wisdom were imparted to me, my mother meant not "everything" exactly.  A little bit of murder or mayhem isn't good at all.  So it is just a saying, and the saying needs to be tempered by logic and reason.  But moderation is really a little-known secret in life that should be used much more often, by all of us.  I think I've found the answer to this after over fifty years of searching, and that is that balance seems to be an essential element in life.

Balance in life can't happen if moderation isn't employed!  Balance by it's very nature means that the "yes" and "no" in life are virtually equal.  The "sugar" and the "spice" work together to create the flavor in life that we crave as humans.  To overdo something is to harm it's very essence.  These are some important lessons I've learned when following the moderation rule.  In order to learn and absorb this rule, the opposite has to be experienced, at least for me.  Boy, have I experienced the opposite!  Taking something to the max can be fun, but never all the time.  That means not drinking or smoking to excess, or exercising all day and night, or virtually anything you like to do so that you wear out it's welcome.  Don't do it!  It always leads to trouble, and the good old "moderation rule" laughs in the face of excess all the time...

As stated above, moderation leads to balance, which leads to the exquisite nature of life itself.  There is nothing more beautiful in life when observing nature working together in harmony as one!  The "stuff" of nature can work as one because of the respectful distance inherent in the process itself.  This is beauty to the "max"!  So, the lesson learned is that the maximum can be experienced when moderation is employed.  It sure sounds like a conundrum, but whatever it is called, moderation is the fundamental key to enjoying life.

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