Nov 23 2009

The Lost Virtue of Temperance – When Vices Are Good For You

Published by Yaholo at 12:32 am under Christian Mysticism

“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” – Benjamin Franklin

We humans tend to live in extremes.  Most people who drink, drink to get drunk.  If not, it is because they don’t drink at all.  Most people who smoke, chain smoke packs of cigarettes a day.  The rest of us stare them down while exaggerating our coughs to show how disgusting they are.  We gorge ourselves on fatty foods, or obsessively count calories (or carbs).  We surround ourselves with sexually charged entertainment, or blush at statues in the local art gallery.  This is our nature, which is the whole reason temperance was once a virtue we strived for, because it is so contrary to our nature but oh-so good for us!

In all things in life that bring us pleasure, there is the possibility of also bringing us harm.  Everyone has heard the phrases “all things in moderation” or “too much of anything is a bad thing”.  It would seem that those who fear for their moral or physical health tend to therefore conclude, “if it could be bad for me, why do it at all?”, or worse, “if it can be bad for you at all, then it is bad, period.”

People usually laugh and shrug off the quote by Benjamin Franklin I included at the top of this article, and while it is obviously somewhat hyperbolical, I believe the sentiment is accurate.  Just about every pleasurable thing on this earth was meant, by God, to do just that – to bring us pleasure.  The only alternative is that God all these things on earth purely as temptation to torment us, which is not something I find reasonable.

But there is more to it than pleasure, I believe that just like work, God made play as something to be mastered, which brings me back to temperance.  Food is better for us when prepared with love and labor, the worst food we have is “fast food”.  Wine is better when created by artisans who have worked hard, and then let the wine age over time.  Cigars have been enjoyed for ages with little guilt, but it is cigarettes that are killing us.

When we seek to master our pleasures, they become even more beneficial to us.  When we seek to cheaply consume our pleasures, out of pure gluttony, they produce in us all kinds of illness and mental disturbances.  Recent medical science has shown us the drastic contrast as moderate drinking is so good for us, and heavy drinking is so harmful (just Google “Moderate alcohol intake”).

And who drinks “moderately”?… People who enjoy quality wines, good beers, and fine spirits.  No one buys Bud Light to “savor the taste”.  People who smoke less than once a week don’t smoke cigarettes (or at least not the kind you find as gas stations), and those who have truly healthy sex lives, aren’t to be found at your local strip club.

So would this have to do with Christian Mysticism?  Well, it is hard to find a more effective way to balance the spirit, but taming and mastering the appetites of the body.  Not to be sanctimonious, and often self-abusive, by pursuing some kind of unnatural abstinence from all pleasures, but to be in control.  Using the earth God gave to us as a tool, using what we have, and not being used by it.  For the man who has dominance over his “vices” is healthier than the man who is dominated by them, and happier than the one who hides in fear of them.  Maybe Adam Ant was right after all….

“For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected when received with thanksgiving…” 1 Timothy 4:4

NOTE:  Image at the top from the window of “The Men’s Toy Shop” in Nashville, IN.  A wonderfully old-fashined small business run by great people, stop by if you can!

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4 responses so far

4 Responses to “The Lost Virtue of Temperance – When Vices Are Good For You”

  1. Johnon 24 Nov 2009 at 9:51 am

    Just a little correction on the Franklin quote:

    “Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards, there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine, a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.”

    It’s easy to paraphrase it as “wine is proof that God loves us” and you could move to the beer paraphrase you cite from that. I feel that it leaves a lot out of the picture though, as Franklin was addressing the entire process with a holistic view.

    Either way, good message. Cheers.

  2. Yaholoon 24 Nov 2009 at 10:21 am

    @John

    Great addendum! Thank you!

  3. Seanon 19 Feb 2010 at 6:29 pm

    Wow, great post. I love the way you put that. I don’t think many people understand this they way you do. Sometimes its hard to explain the difference between enjoying something and being addicted, some people believe that if you want something (like a cigar) or a regular basis, then its an addiction. Of course you didn’t address regularity here, which is where the most debate stems. To one person, a beer a week is too much, to another, a glass of wine a night is a minimum.

    Of course it is possible to let your enjoyment get away from you. I’ve seen people able to enjoy something in complete moderation hit some bad times and loose control, likewise, some people find that slowing down their frequency lends to greater enjoyment.

    Personally, I think moderation IS an extreme. And that you can’t have too much of a good thing- or else it would be called a bad thing. I think the Franklin quote is just to say God wants us to enjoy life. Overuse of a substance can hinder enjoying life. But is also possible that underuse of a substance can hinder that too. I don’t believe that suffering is holiness, but to some Christians its part of their doctrine.

    I’m not a Catholic by demoniation, but sometimes I do wish “legalism” was one of the seven deadly sins.

  4. somaon 06 Mar 2010 at 3:45 pm

    Thank you for a great article on Christian Mysticism.

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