We explain what temperance is and the excesses to avoid in order to live with this virtue. Also, what is temperance according to religion.
What is Temperance?
Temperance is a virtue that advises us to measure ourselves with pleasures and tries to make our life have a balance between what, being a good, causes us a certain pleasure and spiritual life, which offers us another type of well-being, a superior one.
This virtue can be reached by mastering our instincts and desires. Temperance is synonymous from the words moderation, sobriety and continence.
The term temperance comes from the Latin language, "temperantia", which means the moderation of the temperature, but in another sense the adjective temperate is applied to refer to the middle ground between hot and cold, and in the same way to everything that maintains some kind of balance or internal, spiritual harmony.
Hence also the adjective harsh, as decomposed or unkempt, without moderation or balance. On the other hand, and contrary to what is usually believed, the word has no etymological relationship with the word temple.
Have the virtue Temperance means that we will be sober, identifying what are the needs of our body and our being, but the really necessary ones, those that will give us well-being and help us develop as people (such as Health wave education).
On the other hand we must also identify imaginary needs, because these are simple products of our desire and ego, these second needs are inexhaustible. Therefore we must contain them with all our strength and learn to live only with what is necessary to have temperance, although this does not mean living in lack.
The human being It has a natural tendency to abuse the joy that goods grant, it is also true that we have within us a small part that is rebellious and opposes the correct act.
The realities called sensitive are as important in the life of man as the subtle, but he must learn to differentiate the importance that each one has because the obsession of staying in the joy of the material distracts him, keeping him floating between illusions that do not contribute anything good to his life and also take him away from the true knowledge.
If the human being acted as his instincts dictate, he could never find his perfection of being, he could not achieve what he is destined for.
It is also said that not acting with temperance is an act of selfishness, since one as a person cannot contribute good things to the world and to the society in which he lives by just spending time thinking about the material and his vices, he cannot correctly appreciate the reality to be able to act in this way according to it.
Samples of excesses
Alcoholic beverages in excess can damage our liver.
Some examples of things to avoid excessively in order to live temperately are:
- The meals (as we would be sinful of gluttony)
- Alcoholic beverages
- Sex too much, since these things cause situations in which the energies of the being get disordered and thus become destructive acts.
For example, drink alcohol Too much can damage our liver, having too many sexual partners can lead to us contracting a sexually transmitted disease, and so on.
Temperance in religion
Sobriety is what opens the doors to a spiritual life, excesses poison the soul. From a religious point of view, temperance is a cardinal virtue and when it is perfected by the work and grace of the Holy Spirit.
Temperance is also what makes us stop our low instincts, it conquers some of the capital sins of Catholicism. No good work will save us if we do not have constancy, because our soul remains blind because prudence has been corrupted.
The person who enjoys temperance will always direct his sensitive appetites towards the good, knows how to act with discretion and does not allow himself to be influenced by the passion of his heart.
It is said that when someone acts according to his spirituality, he is being true to himself. When the soul is surrendered to the sensible world, the ability to decide and act in the right way is annihilated later on.
It is said that the human being who works in his life according to the spiritual laws is in communion with God, thus assimilating the truth, which is the highest good to which we must aspire, and finally performs all its acts properly. If we have this virtue, we will live in a balanced way, avoiding all excesses, both good and bad.
Those who dedicate their life to living it with all possible virtues and according to the commandments of the church are the priests or nuns, who decide to follow the path of spiritual elevation above pleasures and goods.