I have done a fair amount of writing with my business colleague on the classical virtues. Some of these virtues, like courage and justice, are well-known. People are comfortable using those words and think they know what courage or justice means. And for the most part, they are right. But there are a couple other virtues which are less likely to be known. Prudence is one of these and temperance is the other one.
Prudence is not a word that most of my college students know at all. When I use that word, a blank stare comes over the faces. Some time ago, my friend and I switched to call prudence “wisdom.” That has helped, since most folks think they know what wisdom means. But if you ask what is the difference between wisdom and knowledge, the answers are not always clear.
When it comes to temperance, again most college students have no clue what that word means. And if we are working with an older audience, temperance might mean refraining from alcoholic drinks. That certainly is what my grandmother meant when she used the word, temperance! She was a woman who believed in temperance and that meant there was no alcohol around her. But the word in its classical setting points in a different direction. Temperance has to do with moderation, balance and what is usually called, the Greek middle way. It is in this sense that I use it.
Most religious traditions have some version of temperance. They do not condone excess. Moderation is the best long-term solution to a life lived well. And it is this kind of phrase that Aristotle, Plato and others from that early philosophical tradition would have meant by the word, temperance. Indeed, temperance is a long-term strategy for good things in one’s life. When we are young, perhaps we can get away with excess, but over time temperance is the way to go.
Temperance is found in a couple predictable ways in our culture. The one I am most familiar with---and continually deal with personally---is busyness. If you step on to a college campus and ask folks how they are doing, everyone is busy. It is as if busyness is a sign that you are “somebody.” Busyness is a sign of your importance. If someone were to say, “I am not busy at all,” he or she would be looked upon as a slacker or incompetent! Even if you are not really busy, you should say you are!
There are other venues in our culture where boredom is the problem. Maybe some secondary schools deal with the issue of boredom? In my own ministry, nursing homes often have to cope with folks who really are bored. In these contexts, folks would love to have something to do---anything to do. Temperance would be a relief from their sense of nothingness.
Temperance is not a one-size-fits-all. In fact, temperance can change with our changing life situations. I think about my own life. When I was early in my career, I often did not have as many resources for teaching as I do now. I had to work harder to be ready for class, etc. And then we had kids. Little kids are time sponges! Ask a new mother who is nursing how easy it is to get the sleep she needs. Infants typically mess up temperance. And then some of us are the “sandwich” generation. We are caught between our own kids and a parent or two who may simply be adult versions of kids! I was there once and it was not easy. It never occurred to call it a temperance issue, but it was one to be sure.
There are many ways we can argue why temperance is important. After all, Aristotle, Christians and other religious traditions know it as a virtue. For Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas and so many others, a virtue is something that always aims at the good. The “good” adds the moral or ethical quality to make it a virtue. Interestingly, temperance is a virtue that actually is a means to the end. That suggests temperance is not really the goal; temperance is the means to some other goal.
For example, our goal may be to be of service to those we meet in life. Sometimes this service is called ministry. To be as successful as I can be in this service to God and humanity, I need to practice temperance. My life needs to be balanced in order to be fully available over time to serve. If my life is one of extreme or excess, I am shortchanging my ability to serve in my fullest capacity.
Temperance is a way of saying, “don’t overdo it.” On the other hand, temperance might also need to say, “do something, but do it moderately.” Temperance always tempers the extreme. It gets us in shape and keeps us in shape. This is true physically, emotionally and spiritually. It is easy to have temperance in one area and blow it in other areas.
I have found temperance to be a life-long issue. If I don’t continue to think about it and practice it, I lose it. It does not have to be difficult, but I do need to practice it. And I have to be alert to those things in life which come along and blow temperance out of the water. That will happen. When it does, I seek again the balance and look for the way of moderation. We all can do it. But we have to do it for it to be effective.
Prudence is not a word that most of my college students know at all. When I use that word, a blank stare comes over the faces. Some time ago, my friend and I switched to call prudence “wisdom.” That has helped, since most folks think they know what wisdom means. But if you ask what is the difference between wisdom and knowledge, the answers are not always clear.
When it comes to temperance, again most college students have no clue what that word means. And if we are working with an older audience, temperance might mean refraining from alcoholic drinks. That certainly is what my grandmother meant when she used the word, temperance! She was a woman who believed in temperance and that meant there was no alcohol around her. But the word in its classical setting points in a different direction. Temperance has to do with moderation, balance and what is usually called, the Greek middle way. It is in this sense that I use it.
Most religious traditions have some version of temperance. They do not condone excess. Moderation is the best long-term solution to a life lived well. And it is this kind of phrase that Aristotle, Plato and others from that early philosophical tradition would have meant by the word, temperance. Indeed, temperance is a long-term strategy for good things in one’s life. When we are young, perhaps we can get away with excess, but over time temperance is the way to go.
Temperance is found in a couple predictable ways in our culture. The one I am most familiar with---and continually deal with personally---is busyness. If you step on to a college campus and ask folks how they are doing, everyone is busy. It is as if busyness is a sign that you are “somebody.” Busyness is a sign of your importance. If someone were to say, “I am not busy at all,” he or she would be looked upon as a slacker or incompetent! Even if you are not really busy, you should say you are!
There are other venues in our culture where boredom is the problem. Maybe some secondary schools deal with the issue of boredom? In my own ministry, nursing homes often have to cope with folks who really are bored. In these contexts, folks would love to have something to do---anything to do. Temperance would be a relief from their sense of nothingness.
Temperance is not a one-size-fits-all. In fact, temperance can change with our changing life situations. I think about my own life. When I was early in my career, I often did not have as many resources for teaching as I do now. I had to work harder to be ready for class, etc. And then we had kids. Little kids are time sponges! Ask a new mother who is nursing how easy it is to get the sleep she needs. Infants typically mess up temperance. And then some of us are the “sandwich” generation. We are caught between our own kids and a parent or two who may simply be adult versions of kids! I was there once and it was not easy. It never occurred to call it a temperance issue, but it was one to be sure.
There are many ways we can argue why temperance is important. After all, Aristotle, Christians and other religious traditions know it as a virtue. For Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas and so many others, a virtue is something that always aims at the good. The “good” adds the moral or ethical quality to make it a virtue. Interestingly, temperance is a virtue that actually is a means to the end. That suggests temperance is not really the goal; temperance is the means to some other goal.
For example, our goal may be to be of service to those we meet in life. Sometimes this service is called ministry. To be as successful as I can be in this service to God and humanity, I need to practice temperance. My life needs to be balanced in order to be fully available over time to serve. If my life is one of extreme or excess, I am shortchanging my ability to serve in my fullest capacity.
Temperance is a way of saying, “don’t overdo it.” On the other hand, temperance might also need to say, “do something, but do it moderately.” Temperance always tempers the extreme. It gets us in shape and keeps us in shape. This is true physically, emotionally and spiritually. It is easy to have temperance in one area and blow it in other areas.
I have found temperance to be a life-long issue. If I don’t continue to think about it and practice it, I lose it. It does not have to be difficult, but I do need to practice it. And I have to be alert to those things in life which come along and blow temperance out of the water. That will happen. When it does, I seek again the balance and look for the way of moderation. We all can do it. But we have to do it for it to be effective.
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