Moderation

ADF’s definition of moderation is “cultivating one’s appetites so that one is neither a slave to them nor driven to ill health (mental or physical), through excess or deficiency.”

ADF couches moderation in terms of addiction. For me, it is more than that. I see moderation in terms of living a healthy life. Consider how disruptive a life is when ruled by excess emotions. People move from drama to drama, but never resolve
anything. The other extreme is having a life of suppressed emotions. How can anyone experience life, if they chose not to feel? Living a life with icy calmness is as destructive as being an erupting volcano.

Moderation encompasses many things – wisdom, prudence, and a desire not to live in the extremes. In the philosophical sense, moderation is the even handed approach to life. Moderation counsels, “choose the middle path, rather than fluctuate between the two extremes”. As the road map to a fulfilling life, moderation places boundaries on excesses.

In their practical way, Romans modified the extreme parts of the Greek philosophy of stoicism. Valuing moderation, the Romans wanted stoicism to apply to the actual challenges of daily life. For them, practical wisdom was the life lived with good sense. To me, that is the definition of moderation.

Giant Otters and the Virtue of Fertility

Diane McTurk and giant otter

ADF defines “fertility as the bounty of mind, body, and spirits, involving creativity, production of objects, food, works of art, an appreciation of the physical, sensual, and nurturing.”

“Fertility”, today seems to only apply to the reproduction of humans. Various pundits discuss the “birth dearth”. In other circles, fertility has become a “bad” word because of overpopulation. But fertility encompasses more than the reproduction of humans. Fertile imaginations give us great stories and art. Scientific breakthroughs are another form of fertility. People imagine what could be, and then invent it.

One example of this virtue is the Karanambu Trust, which works to keep giant otters in the wild. (Giant otters are the top keystone species of South American river systems.) When Diane McTurk was in her fifties, she started rescuing giant otters on her ranch (Karanambu) in Guyana. Her appreciation of the otters lead to her nurturing and teaching them important otter skills.

Then, Ms. McTurk employed her neighbors to play with the animals. (Play is important to giant otter development.) She also reached out to the local villages not to kill otters, but to bring them to her. Her efforts encouraged people to come to see the otters and visit the surrounding areas. The local villagers benefited from providing services for the visitors. By preserving an untouched part of the rainforest, Diane McTurk promoted ecotourism for a poor country.

Diane McTurk saw the sensual aspects of giant otters at play, mating, and rearing their young. She enjoyed watching them pet each other. By being a part of the natural world herself, she nurtured the giant otters to reclaim theirs. Through her work, Ms. McTurk has kept one of the most fertile parts of the earth alive.

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Commentary on her work by the Zoological Society of San Diego: http://guyanaoutpost.com/features/zssd.shtml

Karanambu Ranch and Trust: http://www.karanambu.com/index.php

Persistence as a Virtue

Persistence:
The ADF defines persistence as “the drive, motivation to pursue goals even when that pursuit is difficult.”

Virgil’s “Aeneid , the great epic of Rome’s founding, celebrates persistence. Writing of the voyages of Aeneas to find a home for his people, Virgil sought to codify the beginnings of Rome in an epic poem. However, Virgil died before finishing his “Aeneid”. Personally, I think that the “Aeneid” celebrates not only Aeneas’ persistence but Virgil’s as well.

After the Greeks destroyed Troy, Aeneas took his people on a journey find a new home. While searching, he was constantly harassed by Juno, the Queen of the Roman Gods, who bore a grudge against his mother, Venus, the Goddess of Love. While the two Goddesses sparred, Aeneas coped with the death of his father, shipwrecks, and attacks by vicious harpies. Finally, he landed in Italy, where his dead father had told him to go. However before Aeneas could settle, he has to fight the Latins and other local Italic peoples.

In my life, doing the family laundry exemplifies persistence. Every week, I have to walk two blocks to the laundry room in my complex. (Parking is not allowed in the area.) Carrying the soap and my bags, I walk in all types of weather. Furthermore, the laundry room of my complex is freezing in the winter and stifling in the summer.

Courage in Norse and Roman Myths

ADF defines courage as “Acting appropriately when faced with danger.” This is more than just being brave. Courage also includes acting rationally. In Norse and Roman mythology, two similar myths show that both cultures defined courage as ADF does.

Tyr, Norse God of the Thing and Justice, lost his right hand to Fenris, the Great Wolf. An offspring of Loki, Fenris was known as the devourer. To prevent the destruction of Asgard, the Gods had to leash him. However, Fenris only trusted Tyr, and asked the God to prove that nothing awful would happen. So the God put his right hand into the wolf’s mouth. When Fenris was leashed, he bit off Tyr’s hand. Afterwards, Tyr became known as the One-Handed God for his sacrifice to the greater good.

During the Roman-Etruscan War, Lars Porsena, the Etruscan king, laid siege to Rome. An ordinary citizen, Gauis Mucius, went to the Roman Senate, and volunteered to end the siege by killing the king. Unfortunately the Etruscan king caught Mucius. To demonstrate Roman fortitude, Mucius put his hand in the fire. Lars Porsena, not only admired his courage, but was also unnerved by his actions. The king let Gauis Mucius return to Rome. Afterwards, Lars Porsena decamped, ending the siege.

In these myths, courage is tempered with reason. By volunteering for a greater good, both Tyr and Mucius both lost their right hands. Afterwards, they both had to learn to live life one-handed. They displayed quiet courage, going about their business not completely whole but coping nevertheless.