Moderation

The "middle" in Middle Path is moderation, as I see it. Some in the New Age vein confuse this Buddhist concept with equivocation or neutrality, in the sense of dispassionate detachment from everything. A quiet reading of Dhammapada will dispel this notion quickly. If that document represents the Buddha's ideas, you will find him far from equivocal or neutral on his ideals and values.

Moderation has a lot to do with action in balance with thought. By centering thought on values and ideals, the practitioner of humanism is confronted with a potentially overwhelming consciousness of immediate daily suffering everywhere. That suffering occurs in varying degrees. The humanist is faced with moment-by-moment choices which can either increase human suffering or decrease it. The best beginning is to deal with my own suffering, so I may be able to deal with the suffering of others more effectively.

Moderation is a helpful habit to culture in these moment-by-moment decisions about daily life. Thinking or acting in extremes only brings more suffering. Eat too much and you get fat. Drink too much and you damage your brain. Focus on others too much and you can lose your own compass or well being.

By working at knowing myself truthfully at any given time, I can moderate my behavior to best meet my values/ideals under life's changing circumstances. By focusing too much on myself, I lose the opportunity at forming mutually helpful human relationships. The Middle Path lies between all extremes. The compass to stay on the Middle Path lies within me. Its North Star is my humanism, my developed ideals and values I hope to put into action, into my being. Mindfully and compassionately placing my feet along the Middle Path every day is my humanist practice.