Nothing In Moderation
"Everything in moderation", said the Greeks.
"Everything in moderation, including moderation", Oscar Wilde said.
"Nothing in moderation", Redbeardguy said.
The Lukewarm Attitude Is For Lukewarm Souls
It is an interesting title, don't you think? It is counter-intuitive that's for sure. We've been raised thinking that taking it easy and doing everything in moderation is the "proper" way to behave in order to succeed in life.
I want you to think who's saying that.
Your family? Your friends? School? Society itself?
Be more specific. We want a name. Now look at their lives. Do you want their life? Actually, is their life worth anything? Have they achieved things you're jealous of? Have you ever been jealous of someone who lived their life moderately?
I haven't. Everything in life that worths a damn was created by a person who didn't do things in moderation.
I know, I know, not everyone wants to be great or be remembered nor they're able to be. But that's beyond the point.
I had this friend. Super intelligent, probably in the 99th percentile. He was a fucking beast. He had the potential to play in the big leagues, multimillionaire AT LEAST and I am not even kidding. Unfortunately, he's soft. His life is like a flag againist the wind. He doesn't make his own choice, his family and environment influence him.
He spends his days studying for a shitty PHD that will land him a job when he's like 30+. Good, at 40 he could be making 100k a year.
F U C K I N G S A D.
But that is the only way he sees. High School->college->Masters->PHD. Spend 10+ years listening to a pussy ass academic talking about business, while he has never run one. Your parents are obviously paying for everything "because he's our little boy".
Then land a job that would pay him x10 less than what he could have been making.
Look, I am not saying that everyone should be an entrepreneur or working online or whatever. I am just saying, IF you goal is strictly money, then the traditional path is really NOT the only option.
Be Honest With Yourselves
Admit what you really want. This guy, after I yelled at him and smashed a lamp in front of his family, he admitted to me he wants to make money and he thinks that's the only way.
You may want to be a doctor or a lawyer, because you enjoy doing those things. FINE go for it. But motherfucker if you admit that all you want from your job is to make money, don't fucking lie to yourself, because you fear to go your own way.
What all of this has to do with "nothing in moderation?
Everything that will put you in the 20% of the population in terms of freedom, money, relationships whatever, requires you to diverge from the norm. Most of you reading are already aware what this means. We are writing in a platform online, getting paid with cryptocurrency. You are already years ahead of the general population, be proud for it.
But the attitude I am talking about doesn't stop here.
It's mostly a mindset, it doesn't necessarily mean extreme viewpoints or crazy behaviour. It means giving in obsession. What a NUTTY word, right?
I tried to write this post 3 times. I couldn't understand why I wasn't satisfied with what I wrote. I realized, it's because "nothing in moderation" isn't really a choice for me. It's a way of being.
- Instead of drinking one drink per week, I drink a bottle per day for a week and then I go clean for months.
- Instead of going out every saturday, I work 12 hour days and then I go insane for a week
- Instead of having a schedule, I work until I get burnt out and then completely let go
These are just examples and obviously there's a pendulum in everything, but you get the gist. I am not suggesting to follow this, as it wouldn't add anything positive to YOUR life. As I said, it's just how I end up doing things, unconsciously.
What do you think?
-Thatredbeardguy
P.S- Hey there, I see you are reading this. Upvote this post and I will fulfill one wish of your. I am wizard.
I have candy in my van, come in:
I think what it comes down to is that if you have any passion towards anything, you have to give into it in order to be happy. Those lukewarm things can be done in moderation, but anything feeding your passion, go for it, give it all you got.
Other people should really start finding your blog and comment because I don't want to be the only one here fangirling you, it doesn't suit my image. But you do speak my language quite often and are much better at putting it to words than I am.
Hey eve, cheers for this reestem :D!
And I was wondering whose pants were those hanging from my balcony.
But in all seriousness, I appreciate the support. A big audience sounds alluring, but let's be honest, most of my content would be flagged and/or filled with stupid by stupid people, so that's that.
I agree. I have spend way too much time trying to be socialy accepted. Many times others told me that I should do this or that. Or that I can't do something. Now I say- fuck that. If I want something I will try to achieve it. I may or I may not succeed. that is irrelevant. as long as try possibility of achieving my dreams is not zero. And that is good enough to take the risk. I do not have the goal be a milioniere. Instead I want to enjoy my life till my last breath. And to be remembered after my death. I try to do or say things that seem entertaining to me. If others find them entertaining as well thats a bonus. When I started creating my art others said that I am wasting my time and that I will not succeed. Recently I signed a contract with an art gallery and they are now showing my works. So I am already closer to my dream than others could have expected. Now those same voices are saying words like "great job" or "keep it up".
A shameless man is a dangerous man, keep that in mind and cheers for the gallery thing.
thank you very much
To me it's just about doing things that won't give us a role but that will give us more of ourselves, if it makes any sense.
Nothing in moderation is a sure way to live a lukewarm life in my books. Life is about impermanence and having no boundaries to mantain an excess, even if you contain the limitlessness in a limit, is as deluded as desiring everything to be in moderation (same intensity). You can redose as much as you'd like, you won't ever feel as good as you did the first time. Comedowns are up ahead in a close distance, always.
Oscar Wilde's view is what i prefer because it is in harmony with nature which is chaotic.
True, as if everything is extreme then the essence of the divergence is lost. That's why I say the pendulum swings all the time.
Nothing in moderation is a mindset, a way of thinking, rather than a crazy behaviour.
Nice comment lad!
Interesting way of thinking, some people (most of them) feels better following the norm though. It's supposed to be like that anyway ;). However, my lifestyle is not much different than yours, and I get what you're talking about. Keep in mind that not everyone with the potential can actually find his best way :).
One more thing. For your friend, money means safety. For you, the validation of your own value ;). Basically, you are looking for different things in life :).
My written English is still bad, but I hope you get the message
As long as they are honest with their choices, they can do whatever they want with their lives.
really inspirational, a crazy viewpoint though.
What's NOT a crazy viewpoint though!
Nice article.
I like Wilde's quote that moderation should be in moderation. I work in finance in NYC and I rub shoulders with people who have climbed to the top of the industry while making close to a million at a very young age. I would say that, by and large, these people have taken everything in moderation.
Moderation doesn't mean never experimenting and never getting in trouble. It's having a variety of experiences, risky and safe ones. When I see people that have gone over the edge from their excesses, they're famous only because their drama catches people's attention, not because they did anything particularly great.
Doing everything, literally, in moderation isn't really moderation now is it?
Yeah, academicians are assholes! I quit PhD programs with full scholarships twice. PhD = Permanent head damage. Full tenure in university not guaranteed. Some are just looking for temporary slaves to publish more papers so that they can secure that coveted head of department position, dean, chancellor and etc... Most are superficial and ruthless human beings if you know them well enough unless you have strong family connections.
Yeah, especially PHDs in non-STEM subjects are rediculous and most of their paper have <2 citations which means they're probably garbage.