They say, “moderation in all things,” yet none can agree what the properly moderated view is. In the face of differing opinions and contradictions, there are a couple points that can help provide clarity.

1. There is a correct balance. It can be tempting to just assume that there is no proper moderation at all. That all positions are equally valid. But these perspectives are not enlightenment, they are giving up on the search for truth. Deep down, all of us know that there is such a thing as being too passive and too aggressive, too sexual and too prudish, too reckless and too risk averse. And if there is too much of each extreme, then there must be some place in the middle that is better. That better place might be a range, and it might shift a little from one person to another, but it is there and it can be found.
2. You will never have universal agreement. When you do find the correct level of moderation, it would be nice if everyone would agree that how you are living is right, but that will never happen. Some will always still say you are too much and others will say that you are too little. If you try to align yourself by committee, you will be jerked from side-to-side in a never-ending tug-of-war. In the end, you must depend on your own conscience to know if you are too fat or too thin, too quiet or too loud, too ambitious or too reserved. And never forget that both excesses are real, and both have people trying to pull you into them.