Winning an election carries the seeds of future loss.  The accelerant is hubris, arrogance, excess.  There is an ancient principle that moderates hubris and excess.  That virtue is called temperance.  It is one of four cardinal virtues noted by the Torah and in ancient Greek philosophy.

In a world of duality and extremes, temperance tells us, “Nothing in excess.”  Not “everything in moderation.”  For instance, we can’t commit murder in moderation; we are precluded from ever doing that.  We can defend our families and ourselves, but that is not murder.  The point of temperance is balance between opposing outcomes. 

The principle here is that Trump and the Republicans won the election.  Now we the people who voted for him must moderate their actions based on principle.  That singular principle, that founding light, is the sanctity of the individual.  Government, whether R or D, becomes excessive.  Trump didn’t win as much as Biden, and the left, lost.

If Trump and the Rs want to remain in position, their single goal must be to restrict government action (including their own) only to that defined by the Constitution.  The worst thing they could do is become the new Elite, the presumptive masters of all, who that know what is best for everyone and tell us what to think. Trump won because Biden and the .eft overplayed their extreme agenda of excess, of control. 

We win only if we speak up to moderate the excesses of our own candidates and party.  We grow weary of dictators, even if they are ours.  The Constitution specifies a balanced approach to governance.  It always protects the individual from excess, whether seen or unseen.

Jay Davidson is founder and CEO of a commercial bank. He is a student of the Austrian School of Economics and a dedicated capitalist. He believes there is a direct connection between individual right and responsibility, our Constitution, capitalism, and the intent of our Creator.

Image: Eugene Zemlyanskiy via Flickr, CC BY 2.0.