object

An object exists only constrained.

Whichever attributes we choose to define an object with, be it a human body, a flower, a house, a human relationship, a campfire, a meal, a rooster's crow, the color blue, sunlight, a tree, an insect, pain, courage, or a bird - each of these exists only as separate from the rest of the world because of the characteristics we choose to define the object with. Altering any of an object's characteristics beyond the subset of possibilities we define for that object [makes it no longer that object]. Is a human body stretched to 50 meters tall and 20 centimeters wide still a human body? Is a burning forest a campfire? Is a marriage without sexual constraints with other people still a marriage? Is an exact 3D-printed replica of a tree still a tree? Is pain desired still pain? Is a three-winged vertebrate still a bird?

The concepts of extremes and the encouragement of moderation apply to the world because they support the continued existence of objects, like our bodies, our relationships, our possessions. When an object's characteristic along a certain dimension pierces its boundaries, the integrity and stability of the object, whether physically or conceptually, may be compromised, and it may cease to be what it is. Hence, moderation is encouraged between humans and human society because it supports their continued existence.

And yet, only beyond an object's boundaries can an object grow.