Moderation

Moderation is the practice of avoiding extremes in behaviors and opinions. Determining what moderation looks like for a particular behavior or position is difficult because what is moderate for one person may be excessive or too limiting for another due to individual circumstances. However, the concept of finding balance and avoiding excesses has been seen as a desirable personal trait since at least the days of ancient Greece. In modern times, experts in numerous fields continue to recommend moderation as a way to ensure physical and mental health and to achieve a life of balance and virtue.

Background

Moderation comes from the Latin word moderare, meaning “to control.” The root word moderate came into use in Middle English during the fourteenth or fifteenth century. It was used to refer to having control or restraint in one’s actions or behaviors.

The word can also refer to exerting control over something outside of one’s self. A moderator can be someone who oversees a debate or group discussion, for instance, or who oversees a social media page. In this context, moderation is the act of ensuring the people follow the established rules and no one else acts in an extreme or inappropriate way.

The concept of moderation has been in use since the days of the ancient Greeks, long before the word entered Middle English. However, the pursuit of moderation became very popular in the early twentieth century, particularly as it pertains to behaviors that could affect health. It was used so frequently in the early twenty-first century that at least one dictionary made moderation the word of the year for 2018.

Overview

The idea of moderation as a virtue has its origins in ancient Greece. The Temple at Delphi, built in the fourth century BCE to worship the god Apollo, was inscribed with the phrase Meden Agan, which means “Nothing in excess.” The idea is thought to be even older and is often credited to the Greek poet and historian Hesiod, who lived sometime between 750 and 650 BCE. Sentiments praising the virtue of moderation were also expressed by others, including the playwright Euripides (circa 480 – 406 BCE) and the revered philosophers Plato (circa 428 – circa 347 BCE) and Aristotle (384 – 322 BCE).

Plato referred to moderation as being the place where reason, desire, and the human spirit come together. Aristotle taught that moderation is a virtue to be pursued. He promoted the Golden Mean, or the place between being deficient and excessive in something, and said that people who achieved the Golden Mean would be acting in a moral manner.

Moderation has long been a key concept in religion as well. Siddhartha Gautama (circa sixth century), the Buddha or Enlightened One, made the Middle Path an essential part of Buddhism. He promoted the idea of holding a neutral or moderate view of situations and acting in a way that avoids extremes. Acting in extreme ways was seen as a cause of human suffering and pain.

Chinese philosopher Confucius (551 – 479 BCE) also saw moderation as a way to avoid many of the problems of life. He promoted the idea that people should hold their own desires in submission. Confucius said people who did this would be happier and would promote peace and harmony in the world around them.

Moderation is also promoted as a virtue in the Christian Bible. Numerous verses in the Books of Proverbs and Psalms and examples in stories and parables throughout the Bible encourage believers to be moderate in their behavior. Despite this, Christians have often been accused of being immoderate in their actions toward those who do not hold the same beliefs. Religious persecution by Christians against Christians and by others not practicing moderation in their behavior has helped to shape the contemporary world as people fleeing persecution sought new places to live and worship.

Beginning during the Protestant Reformation (1517 – 1648), moderation in religion and in politics became intermixed. The Reformation came about because of what some Christians saw as abuses of power in the Roman Catholic Church. Large numbers of Christians split from the Church and formed other branches of Christianity. In many cases, government leaders cooperated and collaborated with the religious leaders both prior to and after the split. This led to questions of how much or how little politics and religion should be mixed. For instance, the men who established the system of governance for the United States mentioned a supreme being in official documents but intentionally kept religion and governance separate. They also attempted to avoid political extremes and allow for multiple points of view and checks and balances to promote moderation and prevent extremes in leadership.

Over the years, questions related to moderation also became a matter of social issues as well. The Temperance movement in America in the early twentieth century is an example of this. A number of citizens—many of them Christian women—held the belief that the consumption of alcohol was dangerous or evil. They campaigned to make the manufacture and sale of alcohol illegal, resulting in the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution on 1917 and its ratification in 1919. The Amendment was later repealed and alcohol made legal again. This led to a growing feeling that religious concepts of moderation should not play a significant role in political or government forums. However, conservative religious groups from multiple faith traditions continue to try to influence political and social policies and views into the twenty-first century.

In modern times, moderation is mentioned frequently in the media to describe health-related habits, especially those related to food and drink. Experts recommend that people use moderation in eating foods other than fruits and vegetables as well as alcohol. Much like the ancient Greeks, they suggest that finding balance in such things as food, drink, sleep, exercise, work, and other activities is the key to being happy, healthy, and a productive member of society. However, “moderation” is not usually defined as a specific amount and can differ from person to person. For instance, someone who has a physically active job will need more food than someone who sits at a desk all day, so a moderate amount of a food will be different for each.

Bibliography

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Brooks, David. “What Moderation Means.” New York Times, 25 Oct. 2012, www.nytimes.com/2012/10/26/opinion/brooks-what-moderation-means.html. Accessed 10 May 2019.

“Buddhism - The Middle Path.” Buddahnet, www.buddhanet.net/cbp2‗f4.htm. Accessed 10 May 2019.

Corbett, Rosemary R. “Moderation in American Religion.” Oxford Research Encyclopedia, oxfordre.com/religion/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.001.0001/acrefore-9780199340378-e-384. Accessed 10 May 2019.

Flora, Carlin. “Moderation is the Key to Life.” Psychology Today, 16 Nov. 2017, www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/201707/moderation-is-the-key-life. Accessed 10 May 2019.

Tarlin, Ellen. “What Is Moderation?” Slate, 11 Jan. 2011, slate.com/human-interest/2011/01/what-is-moderation.html. Accessed 10 May 2019.

Yan, Wang. “Conception of Moderate Desire in Confucian Thought on Goodness and its Realistic Significance.” Confuchina, 2003, www.confuchina.com/03%20lunlizhengzhi/Conception%20of%20Moderate%20Desire.htm. Accessed 10 May 2019.

Yu, Christine. “Why Is Moderation Considered a Virtue?” Headspace, www.headspace.com/blog/2017/10/31/moderation-considered-virtue/. Accessed 10 May 2019.