"Moderation is key" is a phrase that I began using as a youngster studying Kunfu and Buddhism. And it still guides my life today. Now that I'm a mature adult I can appreciate following that little gold nugget of wisdom. It has kept my body in shape, my mind in shape, my spirit in shape, and yes you have a spirit, if you don't believe that, lose it and see how motivated you are. It has kept me sane when all else around me was coming unglued.
Life has taken me down many roads, each with it's own set of temptations and circumstances. When you sit down and think about all the different things that a person experiences for the first time in their life. Things that we must eventually wrestle with for top position and control once it's become an experience, I don't see how we make it through. Just look:
You see to me, we are all just idealist. We each have our perspective of life and "an idea" about how we want to live our lives, and how we want it to end up, with up pretty much always being a positive word. But there's a simple little word called: consumerism. This little word covers every thing about us. Because that's what we do best. We don't "love" best, we don't give best, we consume best. You could say we are like a swarm of locust on the planet consuming, consuming and consuming, leaving heaps of waste behind us. We consume information, we consume the land, we even consume each other in various ways. This is certainly true of the west and Europe. With greater prosperity and higher incomes more planetary resources are consumed. As more nations become more developed more of the worlds resources will be consumed.
I heard about a summit last year taking place in a hidden location. First of all, I was alarmed that the location had to be hidden. That raises a red flag for me. In this summit some of the worlds richest and most powerful people came together to discuss non other than us! You and me and possible ways to curb the worlds population growth. People like Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Bezos founder of Amazon and others of the worlds richest and some noteworthy senators and other politicians from around the world all sitting together making plans about us and the world we live in. What did they conclude and how freely can they move to do anything they want to do?
What the results were of this meeting I can't tell you, Jokingly, I wasn't invited. But I can tell you that the rich are running things in quite a few ways. I can also tell you that the rich have made bunkers they can run to and hide to survive in case all the shit they do or don't do should blow up in their face. It was Napoleon who said religion was created to keep the poor from over running the rich and killing them. Now I don't believe religion serves the rich and not the poor, but it might, I'm sure what was discussed and concluded in that meeting will not be made public. My point is that there are concerns about over consuming and identifying a moderation point for the entire world.
While the consumer class thrives, great disparities remain and amplify throughout the world. The 12 percent of the world’s population that lives in North America and Western Europe accounts for 60 percent of private consumption spending, while the one-third living in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa accounts for only 3.2 percent. So which lifestyle is better? That of the rich or that of the poor?
Or persnickety are the both the same? We in the modern world are living longer lives. Based on my research that is because of our science, medicine, and advance knowledge of the human body. What do you think?
Life has taken me down many roads, each with it's own set of temptations and circumstances. When you sit down and think about all the different things that a person experiences for the first time in their life. Things that we must eventually wrestle with for top position and control once it's become an experience, I don't see how we make it through. Just look:
- Jealousy
- Hate
- Sex
- Food
- Anger
- Fear
- Sleep
- Sugar
- Coffee
- Liquor
- Beer
- Work
You see to me, we are all just idealist. We each have our perspective of life and "an idea" about how we want to live our lives, and how we want it to end up, with up pretty much always being a positive word. But there's a simple little word called: consumerism. This little word covers every thing about us. Because that's what we do best. We don't "love" best, we don't give best, we consume best. You could say we are like a swarm of locust on the planet consuming, consuming and consuming, leaving heaps of waste behind us. We consume information, we consume the land, we even consume each other in various ways. This is certainly true of the west and Europe. With greater prosperity and higher incomes more planetary resources are consumed. As more nations become more developed more of the worlds resources will be consumed.
I heard about a summit last year taking place in a hidden location. First of all, I was alarmed that the location had to be hidden. That raises a red flag for me. In this summit some of the worlds richest and most powerful people came together to discuss non other than us! You and me and possible ways to curb the worlds population growth. People like Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Bezos founder of Amazon and others of the worlds richest and some noteworthy senators and other politicians from around the world all sitting together making plans about us and the world we live in. What did they conclude and how freely can they move to do anything they want to do?
What the results were of this meeting I can't tell you, Jokingly, I wasn't invited. But I can tell you that the rich are running things in quite a few ways. I can also tell you that the rich have made bunkers they can run to and hide to survive in case all the shit they do or don't do should blow up in their face. It was Napoleon who said religion was created to keep the poor from over running the rich and killing them. Now I don't believe religion serves the rich and not the poor, but it might, I'm sure what was discussed and concluded in that meeting will not be made public. My point is that there are concerns about over consuming and identifying a moderation point for the entire world.
“People must consume to survive, and the world’s poorest will need to increase their level of consumption if they are to lead lives of dignity and opportunity.” Global Inequities World Watch
While the consumer class thrives, great disparities remain and amplify throughout the world. The 12 percent of the world’s population that lives in North America and Western Europe accounts for 60 percent of private consumption spending, while the one-third living in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa accounts for only 3.2 percent. So which lifestyle is better? That of the rich or that of the poor?
Or persnickety are the both the same? We in the modern world are living longer lives. Based on my research that is because of our science, medicine, and advance knowledge of the human body. What do you think?
The consumer society has a strong allure and carries with it many economic benefits, and it would be unfair to argue that the advantages gained by an earlier generation of consumers should not be shared by those who come later. Indeed, lack of attention to the needs of the poorest can result in greater insecurity for the prosperous and in increased spending on defensive measures. The need to spend billions of dollars on wars, border security, and peacekeeping arguably is linked to a disregard for the world’s pressing social and environmental problems. (worldwatch@worldwatch.org)
But does this mean globalization with equal standards of living for all? If so how would that work, if at all? Not only is moderation key for us as individuals, it is also key for the world. But as you can see it will not be easy. It is not easy for the world and it is not easy for us as individuals.
The more accessible a thing the more easier to consume it without regard to moderation.
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| You can eat whatever you want as long as its in moderation |
In this sense we must as individuals modify our approach, recondition ourselves and look at consuming from a entirely different perspective than what we are use to. For example fewer people in under developed countries die of heart disease caused by smoking than in developed countries. Cigarettes are not as accessible to people in these areas of the world. Therefore we as individuals who live in developed worlds must monitor and moderate ourselves. We don't have the luxury of circumstance to do it for us. If you want to cut back on smoking you'll have to restore your power over smoking. Stop buying packs of cigarettes, buy singles (there are liquor stores that sell cigarettes 50 cents each, they cost more but you'll smoke less if you design a plan to control your smoking and stick to it. Train yourself to do it this way and you'll go from a pack or two a day down to two or three smokes a day if you have run back to the store every time you want a smoke. Eventually you'll be empowered to quit altogether. Again, it's vicinity and availability. You can control that for yourself.
When we moderate ourselves we teach ourselves to control ourselves psychologically and therefore learn to watch diligently our tendencies when consuming. And in doing so we eventually arrive at a place in our lives where we practice moderation in everything that we do and whatever we consume. That's a very good place to be. Not only will it prolong your life, but it brings balance to other parts of you, makes you a better person, a happier personality. And it's called empowerment, or developing personal power. You can visit jimisound.com if you want to learn more about that.
That's the psychology of moderation as I see it. It teaches restraint and makes us stronger. It empowers us with personal power and thus personal growth. That's what it's values do for us and why we should practice it. You'll look and feel better about yourself in every respect when you know that you have control, and that you have that control because you, yourself, you, you made that happen. Wow, victory is sweet and what goes around come's around. Where there is victory once there will be victory twice, three times and in definitely if that's what you choose. After all you have free will.
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