Temperance. A big, ole word that still holds power. Let’s look at how.
Webster’s Dictionary definition #1 of temperance is moderation in action, thought, or feeling: restraint. Temper
ance was among the four cardinal virtues classical philosophers espoused to encourage our better nature and overcome our weaker impulses. Temperance walks hand-in-hand with mindfulness. However, people confuse definition #1 temperance with religious prudishness, which falls under Webster’s Dictionary definition #2, the judgy “you’re all sinners” definition.
Definition #1 temperance is a road more or less traveled to get you out of the crazy town of unruly passions, selfishness, and tantrums. With this temperance, you breathe freely in a vista of the wide, open spaces of potential. You can move about, think, and respond in ways unimaginable down in crazy town. Here you are reasoning and reasonable. If you’ve ever been very angry with a loved one but kept your mouth shut for 10 seconds before responding, you may have experienced temperance. Conversely, if you’ve ever been angry and didn’t keep you mouth shut (because you needed to be heard right now, damnit!), perhaps you experienced unhappy consequences to your momentary righteous flare of indignation. If you truly care for someone, temperance is a virtue.
These days, we’re all walking around crazy town even if you’re striving for mindfulness and clarity.
Temperance is a virtue relevant to our time. Without temperance, we have the present display of deplorable behaviors, cruelty, and violence. Show me a dictator who exhibits the virtue of temperance. They don’t exist - and that’s one more point in favor of temperance. Temperance is cryptonite to the dictator. A populace that is not swayed by unreasonableness is a populace that cannot be controlled by a dictator.
Recently, I heard Jeffrey Rosen, President and CEO of the National Constitution Center, on the 1A podcast. Rosen described how the Founders of the U.S. were into the classical virtues as a roadmap to becoming more noble humans (see endnotes). This pursuit of classical virtues was woven into our founding documents, which is why ‘striving to make things better for everyone’ is an Americanism and why robber barons and billionaire control freaks don’t last the test of time. Even when we fail to make things better, our founding documents ask us to not give up; the next generation will carry on if we leave them an intact democracy.
Endnotes
1.
2. The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America by Jeffrey Rosen https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Pursuit-of-Happiness/Jeffrey-Rosen/9781668002476
This is great insight and something we need to see in our leaders
My first reaction upon seeing the word “temperance” was, “don’t you dare try to tell me to tone it down.” Ha! I took a breath and thought that maybe I would learn something…and indeed I did. Thanks for the historical perspective. Temperance dovetails with caring for each other and tamping down our selfishness. So much can be gleaned when the volume is down, we consider the feelings of others, and calm is allowed to envelope. A helpful piece of writing!