Excess generally causes reaction, and produces a change in the opposite direction, whether it be in the seasons, or in individuals, or in governments.

The pendulum overshoots before it settles

We live this cycle constantly, though we rarely name it. You eat too much during the holidays and suddenly crave nothing but salads in January. A friend works brutal hours for months and then becomes almost militant about rest. A culture swings from one extreme—total permissiveness—to its opposite—rigid control—each generation overcorrecting for what the last one got wrong.

The tricky part is that this isn't some external law happening to us. We're the ones creating the pendulum. When we're out of balance long enough, we get uncomfortable enough to swing hard in the other direction, usually overshooting the middle ground where actual stability lives. It's like we can't find equilibrium without first hitting the wall.

What makes this observation useful isn't just recognizing the pattern, but catching yourself mid-swing. Notice when you're about to overreact to something, when your "correction" is becoming its own excess. The real wisdom isn't waiting for the natural backlash to teach you—it's developing enough self-awareness to stop the pendulum before it gains too much momentum in either direction. That's harder than just following the cycle, but it's also how you actually get somewhere.