“Moderation? It’s mediocrity, fear, and confusion in disguise. It’s the devil’s dilemma. It’s neither doing nor not doing. It’s the wobbling compromise that makes no one happy. Moderation is for the bland, the apologetic, for the fence-sitters of the world afraid to take a stand. It’s for those afraid to laugh or cry, for those afraid to live or die. Moderation…is lukewarm tea, the devil’s own brew.”
― Dan Millman
I admit it. I go to extremes. I’ve never been very good at doing something part way. I have to throw myself into any belief system, lifestyle or adventure I find myself in. I guess in the context of our conversation yesterday, I am a gourmand rather than a gourmet, I can’t just sample something, I have to become it. Eventually it will occur to me how extreme whatever I have been doing is and I will incorporate the parts that worked and let go of the ones that didn’t . This process sometimes takes awhile and requires lots of self-checking. Eventually tho I integrate that experience and go on to the next one.
I don’t believe I’m alone in this process. I have seen many people do this with relationships. They find the one man or woman who can show them most what they need to learn, experience the relationship, usually get hurt in just the way they need to and then go on. Hopefully they can see that that person was brought into their lives to teach them those things and not hold on to anger and resentment for the lesson. Learning the lesson without becoming bitter at the instructor can be a difficult dance. It helps to remember that we are the ones who have drawn that person, that particular lesson into our lives if only by our need to learn it. Accepting the responsibility precludes indulging in victimization.
Blessings, G
