Title: Rule Yourself (Temperance)
Contents
Everyone who competes for the victory is temperate in all things, for they want a corruptible crown, but we want the incorruptible.
‘Temperance’ is the most unfruitful fruit in the tree of culture of this age. We live in an increasingly unrestrained society.
People are not economically restrained. So, even if you have a lot more income than before, you are facing difficulties through consumption more than that.
Also, many people are not materially restrained. That's why we face so many problems with just one food.
The California pathologist Thomas Bashier performed autopsies on thousands of people and found that two of the three deaths were related to what he called the 'lazy heart', the 'smoker's lung' and the 'drinker's liver'.
According to a study conducted by the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, 60% of adults do not exercise regularly. As one of them said, “Whenever the thought of exercise comes to mind, I just sit there until the thought goes away.”
People can't control themselves even 'emotionally'. Professor James Gabarino of Cornell University reports on social change: “There is a general breakdown of social customs, manners and temperance. It admits and tolerates being aggressive. In the past, children were educated by the social custom of saying 'Keep your mouth shut'. But today they are educated to throw it away.”
Frank Fairley, a psychologist at Temple University, watched with concern over "the de-repression promoted by TV talk shows like Jerry Springer, which teaches you can say whatever's on your mind." This is because the removal of oppression naturally leads to a society that cannot be ethically restrained.
If you think deeply about most social and personal problems - overconsumption, gambling, addiction, sexual promiscuity, etc. - you will find that at the heart of these problems is the 'failure of temperance'. Many studies have shown that moderation predicts success in life.
Whether learning an instrument, mastering a computer program, or learning a foreign language, any worthwhile endeavor requires temperance. Perhaps this is why Aristotle referred to temperance as “the most difficult victory to win.” That's why he said, "I think a man who rectifies his desires is more courageous than he who conquers his enemies." Temperance is the standard that determines victory or defeat in the game of life.
However, the society we live in is leading us to assert ourselves too much. Self-esteem elevates the self to the divine position, which, combined with the word self, encourages words such as self-confidence, self-satisfaction, self-expression, assertiveness, self-indulgence, self-awareness, self-actualization, and self-worship. A healthy self-image is necessary, but there cannot be a healthy self-image without moderation.
In 1960, researchers at Stanford University conducted a “candy test.” Gather a group of four-year-olds in a room and tell the teacher, “The teacher will be out for 10 minutes to run an errand. I'll give you two candies, so it's okay to eat when the teacher isn't around. But I will give ten candies to anyone who has stopped eating until the teacher returns.”
The researchers wanted to know who was temperamental and who would win the test and win the prize. Twelve years later, the researchers studied the same children again. Ani who ate two candies had more problems during puberty, scored lower on academic achievement tests than those who did not eat, abstained boys rarely broke the law, and abstinct girls rarely had premarital pregnancies. I got the data.
As such, temperance is an important factor in determining whether or not we can be successful. “If you want your children to be successful, healthy and happy, teach them self-control, not self-respect,” said Dr. Baumeister.
So, what do you need to do to be a victor in life?
1) Time must be restrained and managed. Temperance is putting off the urge to do what you love rather than what is important.
2) Tongue must be excised and managed.
3) You need to control and manage your anger.
Application: Respond according to principle and right, not according to the behavior of others.