Quick Links
Categories
Calendar
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
XML/RSS Feed
Other Heathen Blogs and Journals
Caryatid's LiveJournal
Boars Heart's LiveJournal
Orn Ransom's LiveJournal
Thorolf's LiveJournal
Falki's LiveJournal
MacRaven
Seledréam
Vanatru's LiveJournal
Expanding Inward
Boars Heart's LiveJournal
Orn Ransom's LiveJournal
Thorolf's LiveJournal
Falki's LiveJournal
MacRaven
Seledréam
Vanatru's LiveJournal
Expanding Inward
Links of Heathen Interest
Other (non-heathen) Blogs
Subscribe
 |
 |
Technorati
Blog Value
My blog is worth $1,693.62.
How much is your blog worth?
Statistics
Total entries in this blog:
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Apr 26, 2006 10:02 PM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Apr 26, 2006 10:02 PM
Immoderate Moderation
A couple thousand years ago, the great Roman
comic dramatist Terence (Publius Terentius Afer) said "Moderation in all
things." This quote is often misappropriated to Aristotle, but he never said
it. Such an idea may have been present in his moral philosophy, but he didn't
make the quote. Terence also said, along the same lines "I hold this as a rule
of life: too much of anything is bad."
Terence died at the age of 36-ish. Which is not to say he was wrong; he may have died at sea, and honestly, his age of death isn't really important. We'll deal with why it isn't important (in my opinion) later.
Anyway, back on to the topic at hand. Based on these quotes along, Terence would have fit in quite well with the heathens of Northern Europe. If there is one theme that's woven throughout the Havamal, it's the idea of moderation:
12. It isn't as good as it's said to be,
ale, for the sons of men;
for the more he drinks, the less he knows
about the nature of men.
19. A man shouldn't hold onto the cup but drink mead in moderation,
it's necessary to speak or be silent;
no man will blame you for impoliteness
if you go early to bed.
Contrary to popular representation, they're not all focused on drinking, either.
21. Cattle know when they ought to go home,
and then they leave the pasture;
but the foolish man never knows
the measure of his own stomach.
23. The foolish man lies awake all night
and worries about things;
he's tired out when the morning comes
and everything's just as bad as it was.
(all quotes here are from the Larrington translation)
There's tons more, but this is a commentary; not simply a quotation. If you want, read them in the Havamal yourself.
Moderation is, in essence, that quality of doing things in the proper amounts. Moderation has to do with neither over-indulging nor under-indulging in your actions. It applies to every aspect of our lives, not just drinking and eating.
Why is this a good idea? Over-indulgence leads to weakness, not just physically, but also mental and emotional. Consider the analogy of treating yourself as you would a newborn child. If its every whim is satisfied completely, you'll raise a spoiled brat unable to do anything for itself. The person who eats whatever they want in whatever amounts they want will become overly corpulent, weak, as well as unable to deal easily with adversity in times of famine or poverty, when such foods and such quantities are unavailable. On the other hand, under-indulgence will lead to physical weakness, as well as a lack of mental and emotional stimulation, resulting in misery. If one only eats in only amounts absolutely necessary to sustain life, and chosen for their nutritive value with no consideration of personal taste, then one will find no joy in eating, and will become emaciated.
In friendship also one must be moderate. Friends are good to have; don't get me wrong. However, one must balance relying on others with relying on one's self. On the other hand, one cannot stand aloof from their friends; asking for help sometimes is crucial to a real friendship, just as much as giving help is. Think of the gift-giving stanzas in the Havamal -- it's important to give gifts to friends and kin, but it is just as bad to give too much as it is too little.
That's a couple of good examples about how moderation is important in life. Now, let's look at moderation of moderation. If one truly attempts to lead a totally moderate lifestyle, then how does one ever know if the values they call "moderate" remain so? One must also be moderately moderate, which means that occasionally one should be immoderate. Sometimes ya gotta get drunk, or stuff yourself at the buffet, and sometimes you need to abstain totally from things, so that you appreciate them again when you allow yourself to appreciate them again.
Picture a sine wave, with highs and lows and a zero point in the middle. If you average them all together, they average out at the zero point. That, my friends, is the essence of moderation.
Questions, disagreements? Let me know through the comments feature.
Terence died at the age of 36-ish. Which is not to say he was wrong; he may have died at sea, and honestly, his age of death isn't really important. We'll deal with why it isn't important (in my opinion) later.
Anyway, back on to the topic at hand. Based on these quotes along, Terence would have fit in quite well with the heathens of Northern Europe. If there is one theme that's woven throughout the Havamal, it's the idea of moderation:
12. It isn't as good as it's said to be,
ale, for the sons of men;
for the more he drinks, the less he knows
about the nature of men.
19. A man shouldn't hold onto the cup but drink mead in moderation,
it's necessary to speak or be silent;
no man will blame you for impoliteness
if you go early to bed.
Contrary to popular representation, they're not all focused on drinking, either.
21. Cattle know when they ought to go home,
and then they leave the pasture;
but the foolish man never knows
the measure of his own stomach.
23. The foolish man lies awake all night
and worries about things;
he's tired out when the morning comes
and everything's just as bad as it was.
(all quotes here are from the Larrington translation)
There's tons more, but this is a commentary; not simply a quotation. If you want, read them in the Havamal yourself.
Moderation is, in essence, that quality of doing things in the proper amounts. Moderation has to do with neither over-indulging nor under-indulging in your actions. It applies to every aspect of our lives, not just drinking and eating.
Why is this a good idea? Over-indulgence leads to weakness, not just physically, but also mental and emotional. Consider the analogy of treating yourself as you would a newborn child. If its every whim is satisfied completely, you'll raise a spoiled brat unable to do anything for itself. The person who eats whatever they want in whatever amounts they want will become overly corpulent, weak, as well as unable to deal easily with adversity in times of famine or poverty, when such foods and such quantities are unavailable. On the other hand, under-indulgence will lead to physical weakness, as well as a lack of mental and emotional stimulation, resulting in misery. If one only eats in only amounts absolutely necessary to sustain life, and chosen for their nutritive value with no consideration of personal taste, then one will find no joy in eating, and will become emaciated.
In friendship also one must be moderate. Friends are good to have; don't get me wrong. However, one must balance relying on others with relying on one's self. On the other hand, one cannot stand aloof from their friends; asking for help sometimes is crucial to a real friendship, just as much as giving help is. Think of the gift-giving stanzas in the Havamal -- it's important to give gifts to friends and kin, but it is just as bad to give too much as it is too little.
That's a couple of good examples about how moderation is important in life. Now, let's look at moderation of moderation. If one truly attempts to lead a totally moderate lifestyle, then how does one ever know if the values they call "moderate" remain so? One must also be moderately moderate, which means that occasionally one should be immoderate. Sometimes ya gotta get drunk, or stuff yourself at the buffet, and sometimes you need to abstain totally from things, so that you appreciate them again when you allow yourself to appreciate them again.
Picture a sine wave, with highs and lows and a zero point in the middle. If you average them all together, they average out at the zero point. That, my friends, is the essence of moderation.
Questions, disagreements? Let me know through the comments feature.
Posted: Sun - August 22, 2004 at 11:45 PM