One core concept that has always made me cling to Hellenism in my life is that of personal freedom. There are religions and ways of life out there that are so restrictive on the human condition. They want to control your sex life, your beliefs, and your politics to name a few. Now I'm not trying to arrogantly tear down those religions or philosophies, I'm just stating an observable fact of serious human control, when I believe that we were given life for the purpose of enjoyment and fulfillment.
The ancient Greeks were a free people of both mind and body, even though the extension of that may have varied from City to City. In modern Hellenism, the basic premise is this, Enjoy life, just don't let anything control or destroy you.
In other words, eat the food, but don't let the food eat you. Enjoy your sex life, but don't become a slave to it or be reckless. In short, moderation. As long as you do not reach a point where your pleasures and passions destroy your life, harm others, or interfere with your ability to live a regulated life, do as you want. As an example, if I want to have a threesome, I can, as long as everyone is a consensual adult, we know that we are healthy and not giving each other diseases, and I don't become so addicted to it that I cannot enjoy life otherwise. What remains enjoyable and prosperous is good. Now I would cleanse myself before doing rituals afterwards, of course, because human sex creates miasma (ritual impurity), but sex itself would never be an offense. I can eat the foods I like, so long as I do not fall into gluttony, because that harms my health and potentially shortens my life. And I can drink the alcohol so long as I always have the ability to stop at a healthy point. As far as your private personal beliefs, neither the Gods or man care, they only care if those beliefs turn into hubris or harm. When it comes to your politics, again, just avoid hubris and harm. State your political beliefs freely and fight for them. You can be a socialist, you can be a capitalist, you can be Green Party, whatever.
There is no punishment for being human, only the need to find a healthy balance with the things in your life and avoid hubris (arrogance). We are not against enjoying our pleasures and passions, we just don't let our pleasures and passions destroy us. Why is it important to create that balance? Because overindulgence and starvation are both equally destructive. We do not deprive ourselves of the things we like, because that can make one depressed, frustrated, and unhealthy, but we also don't drown ourselves in them, because that can also make one depressed, frustrated, and unhealthy. We don't say, "Don't do that with your life." Instead we say, "Be healthy with it." To my mind, this makes for the best life because it gives the best comfort and prosperity to the human condition. It allows joy, happiness and healthiness while also eliminating suffering.
To live your best life in accordance with Arete, and to enjoy every Day of it, is your own individual choice to make.
In the Goodness of the Gods,
I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,
Chris Aldridge.
Source for Picture:
By EAnderson88 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16197001,
No Changes Were Made.