Dear Inselpeter,
'to speak in measured words.' indeed exemplifies the direction of my inquiry. I wondered if the "moderation"(*) side of the word has gone out of use, or if moderation as a virtue has ceased to rank among important values. You may ask why I had not explained it in this way at the start. I preferred to sound out the actual space of associations first without bias.
I freely admit that I easily get lost at sea in metaphor. But fortunately there are other ships cruising nearby in this here ocean.
(*) the term moderation does not completely cover the sense of measure meant by the architect Le Corbusier when he said he wanted his buildings to be at the measure of humans.