Both Merriam-Webster and Franklin are in direct opposition to the mindset, and behavior, of exactly where our culture has been tracking for some time. Now, moderation is what you avoid, while extremes are what you embrace, pursue, live for—as if to argue that moderation is an extreme to be avoided.

More to the point is that moderation is to be applied broadly. That is, we are to moderate the expression of our opinions, just as we moderate the consumption of ice cream.

Read the transcript for Benjamin Franklin's 13 Virtues - Moderation

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