"Too Much of a Good Thing"

There are many who say that too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn’t.

Food is a good thing; but if you have too much food you become obese. Patriotism is a good thing; but people who are too patriotic wage wars on other countries. Carefulness is a good thing; but a person who is too careful misses opportunities. Kindness is a good thing; but a person who is too kind gets used as a doormat. Having a big penis is a good thing; but the people whose penises are too big give women vaginal fistulas.

There are other situations though where this is not the case. I do not see how someone can be too wise, or too beautiful, or too good at what he does. Some things are just good, and they stay good however much of them there are.

The main burden of this claim is to push for moderation. I would apply the same logic to the people making this claim. Is there such thing as too much moderation? Or is moderation not a good thing?

I actually think that there is such a thing as too much moderation. Too much moderation suppresses passion and intensity. Passion and intensity can be bad; but they can also be very good. They are great for such things as poetry, painting, music and romantic and sexual relationships. And they can also be great for influencing and motivating people.

I am a moderate by conviction, a fanatic by temperament. I seek what I call the positive middle path. Not just any middle path, as the middle can be found in all sorts of undesirable places; but a positive middle path that combines what each side is right about while doing away with what’s wrong in each. In battles such as between nature and civilization, business and labor, men and women, neither side is good and neither side is bad. Both are capable of both. I seek to make the best of these conflicts by combining what each side is right about while doing away with the wrong in each.

Returning to the original point. Is too much of a good thing a bad thing? Once again, sometimes it is and sometimes it isn’t. With some things – such as food – we need to seek moderation. With other things – such as wisdom – we need to seek extremes. One task of discernment is to find where to apply what approach. Once that is done, good stands to be achieved.