“Moderation is the silken string running through the pearl chain of all virtues.”
-Joseph Hall
I read the painful news this week that an 18 year-old Tibetan Buddhist nun had set herself on fire, in protest of China’s policies toward Tibet. Three months ago another nun from the same monastery in the Sichuan Province set herself on fire as well, and died. In the past year, over a dozen Tibetan Buddhist nuns, monks, and lay people have self-immolated resulting in eleven deaths. And for what? The leader of the Tibetan Buddhists, the Dalai Lama himself, asked that very question. Certainly the Chinese government is unmoved, and the response from the world is some combination of pity, confusion, and revulsion.
The young woman undoubtedly believed her radical act would bring attention to the cause she’d dedicated her life to. And for 15 minutes it will. But it’s much more like the kind of attention generated by a car accident or a mudslide, than the kind of attention that brings good. Only virtue does that.
Extremism is not virtuous. Intentional self-injury is not virtuous. Desperation is not virtuous.
Virtue does call one to live radically, to live counter-culturally, to live a life of self-sacrifice. But audacity, courage, religion, zeal, and all the other virtues this young woman was attempting to live out cease being virtues if separated from the virtue of moderation.
Moderation is the silken string running through the pearl chain of all virtues.
Moderation is about balance; balance at work and balance at play, balance with self and balance with others, balance with food and balance with drink. It teaches one about healthy self-control and gentleness. It is the middle way, guiding the pursuit of goodness while avoiding extremes. It is the virtue that channels passion, and protects dignity.
And of course moderation is needed just as much in the West as it is in the East. Because these are desperate times everywhere, and in times of desperation people can easily lose their bearings. Their worlds get turned upside down, and in their pain and fear and anxiety they can make really poor choices.
See in yourself, at least something of that desperate 18 year-old nun in Tibet…the potential to hurt yourself and those around you in your struggle to find balance, and manage pain, and even do some good.
Practice moderation; it’s truly a radical statement.
Question for reflection: Do you feel like your life is balanced?
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About Me
- Ross Porter
- Dr. Ross Porter received his B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his Master of Divinity (Theology) and Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology) degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary, where he first became interested in the integration of psychology and spirituality. He is a teacher, author, counselor, and consultant, specializing in integrative psychology, virtue ethics and family systems. He has taught at the high school, college, and graduate school levels. Ross is also the Founder and Executive Director of Stillpoint Family Resources, a non-profit organization that offers counseling services to individuals, couples, and families in crisis, with nine different office locations throughout Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange Counties (specific office locations can be found at www.stillpointfamilyresources.org). In 2009, Dr. Porter was named an “Outstanding Angeleno” by the Los Angeles Daily News. Ross and his wife Jennifer have been married for 21 years, and have four beautiful children. John Michael, their son who has Down Syndrome is their first born.
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