You Wouldn’t Want It If …
A gray Wednesday, midweek morning with rain, the remainder of melting winter’s ice, —- and traffic hurtling, leaving a billowing wake of dirty mist.
The Brits, some of them want to leave the EU, but cannot agree among themselves how to do it. It is likely the time will run out while they bicker. The county will just “crash out” of the complex commercial arrangement from which they had, to mutual benefit with Europe. What will follow? No one really knows.
Also this morning at the bottom of the New York Times a mention of a verbal altercation between Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook and a Utah Jazz fan. The fan is banned for life, from all NBA events. I guess that certain caucasian individuals, when in an arena filled with white fans, believe it is Ok to racially abuse a black athlete.
I have to mention the breaking story of yesterday, of a massive indictment nationwide of wealthy individuals. It is alleged they engaged in a complex scheme of bribery posing as charitable contributions to guarantee entry to top-tier universities for their off-spring. Money laundering is involved. Maybe they should have sought advice from the Sinaloa Cartel on money laundering?
Decadence: to be in the last stages of decline. It appears that decline is inevitable, when one looks around. Life always strives to surpass itself. Life in essence is visceral, embodied, a transitive verb. Reason is secondary. Moderation is a watchword for a delaying tactic. The time comes when it is not possible to engineer a way forward, to kick the can down the road, to jury-rig a solution…… The game comes down to playing the hand that chance and choice has dealt. Sunk costs…..
Driving in traffic late to an appointment I heard this song on the radio. Sometimes a discovery makes the stress of being late a more than fair exchange. Enjoy. As always the lyrics follow.
Moderation
by Florence + the Machine
Want me to love you in moderation
Do I look moderate to you?
Sip it slowly and pay attention
I just have to see it through
You got me looking for validation
Passion’s new
Want me to love you in moderation
Well, who do you think you’re talking to?Then bow your head in the house of God
And little girl, who do you think you are?
You think you need it, you think you want love
You wouldn’t want it if you knew what it was
Moderation
Moderation
Moderation (Ooh)I’ve never made it with moderation
No, I’ve never understood
All the feeling was all or nothing
And I took everything I could
Can’t hold it back, I can’t take the tension
Oh, I’m trying to be good
Want me to love you in moderation
Well don’t you know, I wish I couldThen bow your head in the house of God
And…Girl, you better learn (I just can’t win)
How to hold it in (Can’t hold it in)
And girl, you better learn (I just can’t win)
And I just can’t win (Can’t hold it in)
‘Cause I don’t see the worth (I just can’t win)
I don’t see the worth
And I’m still try’na figure out if it
Always, always, always has to hurt
(Ahh, ahh, ahh)You want love
Moderation
Moderation
Moderation
Moderation
Songwriters: Florence Leontine Mary W
5 thoughts on “You Wouldn’t Want It If …”
The rich almost all believe they are entitled. Some of the poor also believe they are entitled. The right wing and the left wing believe they have a lock on truth and are therefore entitled. Dictators, doctors, lawyers, politicians, junkies, the self-righteous, the overtly religious, misogynists, bankers, CEOs, COOs CFOs, venture capitalists and on and on and on are all entitled. Not sure who or what is entitling these folks, other than blatant narcissism, but entitlement will be the downfall of civilization
It is difficult to keep one’s eyes open, resisting the temptation to fall asleep. Life does not owe me anything. I am the one indebted to life, without any excuse, any rationale for opting out, for thinking that I am the exception to the give and take, the reciprocity which is life.
Seems that moderation is now the latest flavor to be frowned upon in the latest wave of I’m right/you’re wrong thinkers. But, it’s just another new configuration of the either/or mentality surfacing, when wisdom itself (and intelligence and diversity thinking) is actually based on a “both” mentality rather than a “this” or “that” or “us” or “them” or “left” or “right” or “I’m in” or “I’m out” mentality. But, rather an intelligent level headed viewpoint of “both” which actually equates to moderation. Or, being balanced. Or, in other words, keeping one’s head on straight…much like the old poem “If” stated, to paraphrase and update, “if you can keep your wits about you when all those around you are losing theirs, then yours is the world and all that is in it…”
The Hebrew sages would teach that one should aim to not be too angry nor too passive, but rather aim to be somewhere in the middle…which would keep one disciplined to keep one’s head and emotions on straight. Not only in aiming for one’s own happiness, but also in aiming for one’s own decision making and participation in the world and getting along in the world to actually get things done.
Those words of”If”. If you (or should it really be if I can keep your or my wits about you or myself while all those around you or me are losing theirs, then yours or perhaps mine is the world and everything in it…seems like moderation makes a whole more wise than burning out by being radically right or radically left or divisive with either/or. Perhaps, what we all might actually need to remember is moderation. Or, at least that seems the most appealing to me in my ramblings.
Just some thoughts inspired by your blog, Jerry, and recent controversy on moderation, just so wisdom doesn’t get forgotten in the mix.
Jeff
There is a time and a place for moderation, for those able to exercise it. Moderation takes self reflection. …just as you are doing by your comments. Not everyone cares to self reflect.
I might add, for clarity, that one should be careful to not confuse the word moderation with the word indifference…as they each are two distinct words, actions, and approaches.