Temperance

[Ella S.]

I open this thread out of a genuine interest to hear other users' thoughts on the virtue of temperance. I'm particularly interested in those who try to live in accordance with temperance and what advice they might have for others who might be doing the same.

I have a few questions:

1. What is temperance to you?
2. What, if any, is the purpose of temperance?
3. How can you tell whether someone is or is not properly tempered?
4. When is it okay to release self-restraint and still be considered tempered? Particularly;

a. When, if ever, is it okay to consume caffeine, alcohol, THC, and other substances which cause an altered state of consciousness?​

b. What does temperance look like in regards to anger? Is it ever justified?​

c. Is the pursuit of pleasure for its own sake necessarily immoral, or is it merely certain kinds of pleasure or their consequences? Could you elaborate?​

​

I would appreciate detailed, thoughtful answers, but I'm also interested in any relevant comments or answers you might have on the subject of temperance.

 

[ChristineM]

I very rarely drink alcohol, maybe once or twice a year I'll have a half glass of wine for a toast, so is that temperance?

i do however use bucket loads of wine in cooking for flavour, the cooking process burns off the alcohol, so is that temperance?

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I open this thread out of a genuine interest to hear other users' thoughts on the virtue of temperance. I'm particularly interested in those who try to live in accordance with temperance and what advice they might have for others who might be doing the same.

I have a few questions:

1. What is temperance to you?

Self restraint from anything, pleasurable or painful, that has a negative impact on your life quality.

2. What, if any, is the purpose of temperance?

Many purposes: Keeps you level headed, keeps your quality of life good, makes you healthy both physically and mentally, strengthens discipline.

3. How can you tell whether someone is or is not properly tempered?

The more mellow and at peace with things they are, the more tempered they are. Most of the time.

4. When is it okay to release self-restraint and still be considered tempered? Particularly;

a. When, if ever, is it okay to consume caffeine, alcohol, THC, and other substances which cause an altered state of consciousness?​

When doing it doesn’t bring down the quality of your life (addiction, physical health issues, mental health issues, hazing your mind, forgetfulness… anything really)

b. What does temperance look like in regards to anger? Is it ever justified?​

I think assertiveness is tempered anger. Anger is okay so long as it has no lasting harm on anyone including yourself.

c. Is the pursuit of pleasure for its own sake necessarily immoral, or is it merely certain kinds of pleasure or their consequences? Could you elaborate?​

​

Pleasure is good and necessary. All things in moderation though. As long as you’re keeping tabs on your happiness and how your actions impact it.

I would appreciate detailed, thoughtful answers, but I'm also interested in any relevant comments or answers you might have on the subject of temperance.

 

[Ella S.]

Self restraint from anything, pleasurable or painful, that has a negative impact on your life quality.

Many purposes: Keeps you level headed, keeps your quality of life good, makes you healthy both physically and mentally, strengthens discipline.

The more mellow and at peace with things they are, the more tempered they are. Most of the time.

When doing it doesn’t bring down the quality of your life (addiction, physical health issues, mental health issues, hazing your mind, forgetfulness… anything really)

I think assertiveness is tempered anger. Anger is okay so long as it has no lasting harm on anyone including yourself.

Pleasure is good and necessary. All things in moderation though. As long as you’re keeping tabs on your happiness and how your actions impact it.

Very level-headed and, dare I say, tempered response, thank you.

 

[Hermit Philosopher]

To me, temperance is about balance and balance is far from easy to always achieve.

When we are balanced, it may go unnoticed but when we are unbalanced, it can certainly impacts us, our lives and that of those we share it with in less than subtle ways.

Personally, I feel my best though inner balance and my maintenance of it is always ongoing; I nurture it everyday by taking the time to check in with myself. With practice, we learn to spot our own signs of imbalance and grow better at knowing what to do to regain it.

Humbly,
Hermit

 

[wellwisher]

Temperance is well describe by St Paul; All things are lawful to be me, but not all things edify. All things are lawful to me, but I will not be mastered by anything. In a sense Paul learned to become open to all experiences, without any feeling of taboos. But he also understood that all things should be done in moderation, to avoid longer term compulsions, addictions and body harm.

Back in his day, since Paul had been educated as a Jew, he understood there were clean and unclean things by the law. But since law was nailed to the cross by Jesus, and Paul felt he was no longer under the law, there was now no distinction between the clean of the Jews and not clean of the Gentiles; food or hands, so both could be experienced, but with the constraint not to get addicted or too dependent.

Paul wanted to be all things, to all men, so he could save some. He understood as a preacher, he would have to deal with local customs, that may or may not be clean by the law. By allowing himself to be released from the law, so he could try all things, he got closer to all types of people. But he still understood he needed to find a balance, since many taboos had a rational side, such as room temperature shell fish can still make you sick or too much wine over too much time can alter your mind; wet brain. Once he felt being mastered he pulled back and moved on.

 

[Heyo]

I open this thread out of a genuine interest to hear other users' thoughts on the virtue of temperance. I'm particularly interested in those who try to live in accordance with temperance and what advice they might have for others who might be doing the same.

I have a few questions:

1. What is temperance to you?
2. What, if any, is the purpose of temperance?
3. How can you tell whether someone is or is not properly tempered?
4. When is it okay to release self-restraint and still be considered tempered? Particularly;

a. When, if ever, is it okay to consume caffeine, alcohol, THC, and other substances which cause an altered state of consciousness?​

b. What does temperance look like in regards to anger? Is it ever justified?​

c. Is the pursuit of pleasure for its own sake necessarily immoral, or is it merely certain kinds of pleasure or their consequences? Could you elaborate?​

​

I would appreciate detailed, thoughtful answers, but I'm also interested in any relevant comments or answers you might have on the subject of temperance.

I don't think about temperance that much, maybe because I live it, it's just my nature.

 

[Ella S.]

I very rarely drink alcohol, maybe once or twice a year I'll have a half glass of wine for a toast, so is that temperance?

i do however use bucket loads of wine in cooking for flavour, the cooking process burns off the alcohol, so is that temperance?

My approach to virtue ethics is closely bound up in rationality.

For me, temperance is about restraining myself from committing actions that would be counter-productive to my long-term goals, that way I can better be what decision theory calls a "rational actor." It's ultimately about choosing long-term benefits over short-term ones whenever the two might conflict.

So I won't pay convenience fees, for instance, because I could use that money later. I won't pay for entertainment myself, either. Both of which are examples of frugality, which is often considered a consequence of temperance from what I've read.

I can't answer whether the actions you describe here negatively impact your ability to reach your long-term goals. If I had to guess, I would say they probably don't and might even actively help. Toasting on special occasions can reinforce social support networks, for instance, and cooking with alcohol might make healthy food more palatable and therefore help your nutrition.

At the same time, I am also aware that not everyone is as calculatingly goal oriented as I am and many people tend to live life more spontaneously. So the added question would be, would you even care if you were being intemperant? If not, then the distinction sort of loses any utility or meaning, in my opinion.

 

[Onasander]

I am a member of the Prohibition Party. Well.... I just moved states and don't know how to register for it in my new state.

I don't do drugs, drink or smoke. I've never seen someone win the game of drugs over time. I had a roommate in the army nearly die from a drug overdose (some synthetic morphine or something like that). He was given 60 pills, and had 51 missing having epileptic seizures and a cracked head on the floor of my room. I wasn't too pleased. He would wake me up asking for $900 so his stripper girlfriend could get a abortion caused by another man (I said no), and in the end last I saw him he was under two man guard because command was convinced if he was left alone for even a minute he would try to overdose on something random. He was that obsessed with drug use. We caught him looking up veternarians.... he lived in a barracks with no pet, and in order to get a prescription for a pet you gotta have a hurt one.... so I wasn't too happy about what he likely was plotting.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I open this thread out of a genuine interest to hear other users' thoughts on the virtue of temperance. I'm particularly interested in those who try to live in accordance with temperance and what advice they might have for others who might be doing the same.

I have a few questions:

1. What is temperance to you?
2. What, if any, is the purpose of temperance?
3. How can you tell whether someone is or is not properly tempered?
4. When is it okay to release self-restraint and still be considered tempered? Particularly;

a. When, if ever, is it okay to consume caffeine, alcohol, THC, and other substances which cause an altered state of consciousness?​

b. What does temperance look like in regards to anger? Is it ever justified?​

c. Is the pursuit of pleasure for its own sake necessarily immoral, or is it merely certain kinds of pleasure or their consequences? Could you elaborate?​

​

I would appreciate detailed, thoughtful answers, but I'm also interested in any relevant comments or answers you might have on the subject of temperance.

I like the saying, "slow to anger, quick to cool down".

For me temperance is a survival mechanism.
Use it if you absolutely need it, immediately put it away when it's done.

 

[dybmh]

1. What is temperance to you?

I consider it in terms of metallurgy of a sword.

2. What, if any, is the purpose of temperance?

Staying sharp, not cracking or warping under pressure.

3. How can you tell whether someone is or is not properly tempered?

If they collapse or warp under pressure or become dull quickly while in use.

4. When is it okay to release self-restraint and still be considered tempered?j

It's ok to get 'hot', just not too hot or I'll lose my temper. Just like any sword.

Particularly;

a. When, if ever, is it okay to consume caffeine, alcohol, THC, and other substances which cause an altered state of consciousness?​

In safe environments with non-habit forming substances when there is zero expectation for being sharp and strong.

b. What does temperance look like in regards to anger? Is it ever justified?​

It's ok to get hot, just not too hot. Shaky hands, pounding heart and a clouded mind indicate that I have lost my temper.

It's about maintaining precision and consistency. This can be accomplished in anger, but not in rage. Rage is like a cloud, the fog of war. Anger can bring focus.

c. Is the pursuit of pleasure for its own sake necessarily immoral, or is it merely certain kinds of pleasure or their consequences? Could you elaborate?​

I think frivolity is the problem not pleasure. When a person is frivolous in their mind, it clouds judgement, things aren't taken seriously, this is dull not sharp. It leaves a person exposed, and their mind can be warped or manipulated.

This is why speeches begin with a joke. It opens the mind and makes the speaker's message more persuasive. People are less "edgy" after a joke it "loosens" them up, and "lightens" the mood. All of those increase the possibilities of folding, cracking, or warping the previously strong sharp mind.

Try telling a joke to the Royal guards in England. No reaction.