Why "Excessiveness" Can Delude Our Thinking -- An Examination of a Powerful Term
Updated: Sep 18
Excessiveness: A Double-Edged Sword of Immense Proportions
Excessiveness a concept capable of as much expanse as the Mongolian Empire. It's a term that, once its power is applied, can propel like any promising business venture towards success, or lead an unbalanced enterprise towards catastrophe.
Take overachievement, for instance. Pushing beyond mere "acceptable" can propel you towards the actualization of your inner genius. However, should you overdo it, by minimizing key elements in your plans (like money, like the usefulness of certain people and so on), and you can leave yourself on the brink of collapse, as you get tired with all the stress of being who you are (like a philosopher).
And yet, excessiveness isn't just about negatives. As with the example of water, have too little of it, and your crops wither as if they were under the desert sun. However, having a reserve of plenty of water can actually be useful for you, especially when your country is at war. Be surprised, but drinking water can actually reduce stress (and how can war not be a stressful situation for many?).
The key, is precision, or the proper application of resources in the right situations (which could also define wisdom in a way). Much enthusiasm can light up a presentation like a well-placed laser beam. However be very excited in improper parts of said presentation, and you'll drown your audience in a sense of dreadful cringe. Hence, in rhetoric, the importance of phatos, but only in the right times.
Excessiveness and usefulness can coexist, like a perfectly-organized trade empire that earns its riches by a massive transportation of its goods. Wouldn't you say Heisenberg's Empire from "Breaking Bad" was both excessive in its trade, and useful as well as a business? Having as much of your product can often be as good as its selling to your customers.
In conclusion, excessiveness is a double-edged sword, solvable through careful application. Wield it wisely, and you can conquer your goals better. Overindulge in things that are not worth the effort, and you can bring yourself to your own downfall (as it the example of water. Keep plenty of it in reserve, and you can do better than dying of water poisoning, caused by drinking too much water).
Experiment and innovate as you will, but remember: Even the greatest intellects need balance, lest they fall victim to their own excessive desires. Patience is key.
Why Less Isn't Always More
Resources, "human resources" as well, are cogs that grease the machination of a well-developed organization. But here's the paradox, see? Discarding a trusty component (people included) because they've "outgrown" their initial use is about as smart trying to give up coffee at times where you most need it. By focusing on the lack their current use, you might as well ignore their future use as well. Why then, get rid of things and beings that could help you on the long run?
Think of it this way: minimizing your workforce when times are tight is like sabotaging your own assembly line. Output is then reduced further, morale depletes faster as people feel they are not worthy enough, and you'll ironically find yourself in a shortage of people, instead. So, unless you can really promise them that they will return to work for you, never estimate the essence of loyalty!
Same goes for friendships, those alliances that sometimes lead to future opportunities. New plans to execute, resources to pool... We should not overlook the potential of universal businessman-ship. Why then, claim to have "too many friends/fans/followers"? More minds to collaborate with, means more ways for self-actualization, which is a need we all arguably share.
Besides, who knows when a friendly tip from a follower could lead to an unexpected spike in success (whatever we may define it as)? "Too many contacts" is a poor excuse to reduce your overall pool of wisdom-related potential.
Now, some might call me excessive, a hoarder of articles and and other such content. But hey, call me Scrooge McRubinshtein, but any article I write or receive can be modified to far greater quality! I'm not exactly hoarding content just to swim in it. For you see, writing or recieving one article of less-than-competent quality, can always be modified with good insights, with plenty of internal and external sources. It can also be used as a source itself, eventually...
Therefore, excessiveness can be great when it is used for further investment (and not necessarily, or exclusively, the investment of money, but also other resources, such as time and energy). I often only remove articles on Philosocom that I deem to unworthy to worth my investment for making them better than they currently are. Otherwise, I have no intention of removing hundreds of articles just because I have "too many" of them. Why should I do so, when I can clearly see their potential?
Believe in Yourself, Not In "Batteries"
Potential's a concept as vast and untapped as our universal ignorance. It's the fact that keeps my dreams realistic, and the "secret reason" that allowed me to transform myself from a Tom to Tomasio, turning me from a highly sensitive man to a dead-inside, successful philosopher in his own right. You can have a taste of that potential, too, should you decide to realize that you are more than what you're limiting yourself to.
Forget those buzzkill buzzwords about "moderation" and "modesty", as they are a barrier to that same bountiful excessiveness we're capable of. Life's a competition paved with ruthlesss ambition. Believe in what you're capable of, folks, and don't let anyone (even those who want good for you) tell you otherwise. Think of yourself as a work-in-progress with infinite upgrade potential!
Excessiveness isn't the enemy! It can be expressed by having relentless pursuits of potential, seeing anyting and anyone as a power source for greater elevation of one's hopes and dreams, without having to exploit them (as treating people like tools isn't exactly productive, especially if they feel that way, too).
Dream big, build bigger, and don't be afraid to go a little overboard, if you can make sure that you won't lose much as a result (AKA careful application of resources). Sure, there might be a few bumps and defeats along the way (speaking from experience here), but these are inevitable possibilities in the journey of progress.
And if you need a little help tapping into your potential, well, that's where I come in. This article empire of a website can be seen as your own personal vault of many practical, resource pool of insight. And I'm here to share my (and others') hard-earned wisdom -- serving as but one collection of evidence as to how philosophy and philosophers can be relevant even today.
Here's an additional resource that I only disagree with because I choose to be unhappy:
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