Epicurus Was Right - Don't Overdo It

I don't follow football much, and in fact don't even support a particular football team.  But I do like the big international matches in the European and the World Cups.  Being English I don't get to support my own national team for very long most seasons, but I follow the drama through to the end.  My son is in his twenties and his level of football interest is about the same as mine, so we often watch the matches together with a few tins of beer and some highly processed unhealthy snacks.  We cheer.  We drink. We eat. We bond.  It is one of those things that don't seem important but really are.

The way things fell out at this year's World Cup meant that there were two big unmissable matches on one evening.  There was less than a couple of hours between them.   The methodical tactics of Germany were up against the Gallic flare of France. After that the mercurial Brazilians took on the highly fancied Columbians who had pulled in some great performances.

The trouble was, we had to get in twice as much lager and extra large packets of crisps and twiglets.   It turns out that what works for a two hour session (with extra time and penalties) is nowhere near as much fun when spread over five.  The beer gets boring.  The efforts of the food scientists still stimulate the taste buds, but if you eat too many you begin to feel ill.  Basically, doubling the matches doesn't double the fun but spoils it.  Once you have started watching a match of course you are committed.  You can't stop watching.  And you can't stop eating or drinking, nor even switch to a salad.

Epicurus of course spotted the problem years ago.  The Epicurean philosophy is that one should avoid excesses not because they are morally reprehensible but because basically they are no fun.  Anything that is done to excess becomes not a pleasure but a chore.  Milton put it well

Oh for a vainly fancied treasure
Pursued beyond all measure
And by its own excess
Transformed to pain

(From L'Allegro)

So the trick is to not overdo anything.  Sufficient is plenty.  And it is not just a law of diminishing returns that sets in.  Something that is a real pleasure in small quantities - spicy crisps for example - turn into a really horrible experience if you overdo them.

Photo credit: premasagar via photopin cc