{"id":4323,"date":"2012-11-05T09:16:13","date_gmt":"2012-11-05T17:16:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/?p=4323"},"modified":"2012-11-08T19:28:27","modified_gmt":"2012-11-09T03:28:27","slug":"avoid-extremes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/2012\/11\/05\/avoid-extremes\/","title":{"rendered":"Avoid Extremes"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/h6>\n

Here’s another gem\/conundrum from our writer of ecclesiastical wisdom:<\/p>\n

Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise\u2014
\nwhy destroy yourself?<\/strong>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

What? Isn’t being good the best way to be, and wise the wisest? Can one go over the top and make things worse?<\/p>\n

Here’s more:<\/p>\n

Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool\u2014
\nwhy die before your time?<\/strong>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

What? Is the Bible implying that a little wickedness is okay, at least if it doesn’t threaten early death?<\/p>\n

Here’s the summary:<\/p>\n

It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. <\/strong>
\nThe man who fears God will avoid all extremes.*<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ah, it’s the extremes that are to be avoided . . . on both sides of the equation. Come to think of it, I have seen examples.<\/p>\n

Some decades back I was in an adult Bible class where a guest stated his belief that it’s possible for a person to achieve a state of ongoing sinlessness. It was clear he was using himself as a prime example. The teacher, either by dint of different theology or a knowing perception of human nature, took umbrage with it all and said, \u201cSir, you are sinning right now!\u201d<\/p>\n

I don’t remember what followed, only that afterward the teacher was removed. Apparently for a lack of diplomacy.<\/p>\n

Which one, I ask myself, was acting overrighteous?<\/p>\n

Here’s another, illustrating the other side: A friend once told me how he’d been working on a movie set and had been told not to make waves. In time he discovered that the director was embezzling. He reported it to higher management and he, my friend, was promptly chastized for making waves<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Strange, but apparently for them a little wickedness was less hassle than too much righteousness.<\/p>\n

As for the “overrighteous,” I’ve never known a true perfectionist to be either realistic or happy. One only destroys oneself.<\/p>\n

As for \u201coverwicked,\u201d it’s easy to see how the big wrongs will kill us; but we might as well admit that we all live with little wrongs all the time. (And even they eat away at us until they’re mastered.)<\/p>\n

In any case, it’s moderation that’s prescribed, and balance.<\/p>\n

You can die from either, gluttony\u00a0or\u00a0anorexia. Same in all areas.<\/p>\n

The man who fears God will avoid all extremes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

______________________<\/p>\n

*Ecclesiastes 7:16-18<\/p>\n

Next: About Patience.<\/em> Coming Thursday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here’s one that might seem simple at first, then not so much, then straightforward once again. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4323"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4323"}],"version-history":[{"count":41,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4323\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4934,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4323\/revisions\/4934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}