Temperance in Action

Temperance. Continued. Of late I have been writing on Temperance and Justice and Courage... as 3 parts of the 4 Cardinal Virtues of Stoicism. It is all part of a month of exploring COOLness... and as part of a longer and personal reclamation project... exploring...

On Being Tempered

The more I dig into COOLness and the 8 above... the more I see connection to Stoicism as Strength, and I am digging more and more into such and same... in a diversity of reads now and forward.

That said, and for now, let us examine Temperance a little bit more.

In sharing a little on my own walk with what I call high functioning depression, I noted that...

• "I do not believe in nor hold to toxic positivity. I believe in and hold to Optimism. There is a difference, markedly so. The former bores me anyway. For me, it is escapism. The latter, that practice of Optimism… knows that I am “enough” even in the moments I feel weakened. Our emotions matter.?But they are not our masters. We are the captains of our Soul… and we need see our own emotional Courage."

I humbly recommend the short read of that post on my own personal thoughts around my "high functioning" Depression. They are my own moderated thoughts but they might have value. More importantly, for now, I suggest that Temperance plays a role in my "dance with the dragons". Being tempered helps me walk my walk, through trail, trial, and triumph alike.

The Triplets of Strength

With that in mind and heart, I invite you to read and reflect on the Temperance Card above. My observation and experience and education tells me that Temperance, Moderation and Discipline are triplets...

... of Strength. Temperance is that practice that says "not today" or "yes, today"... because is Decisiveness, in purposeful action.

Temperance sees and experiences our emotions but is not mastered by them. That said, this is not to negate clinical aspects and forms of Depression. But, it is to say that our actions in facing such are tempered when we make decisions that strengthen our capacity to walk through life. Temperance causes us to seek out, pursue and use resources that might work for us. We build our armies in response to the obstacles in the way.

Temperance is a practice, of Will. It is neither easy, nor the silver bullet.

But Temperance is a practice. And practice makes permanent. It is the internal working out akin to what path of physical working out we might follow. Some days, we do not feel like it. Enter Temperance.

Tempered steel is steel that has been subjected to heat. It is stronger in the face of such. That said, Temperance is strengthened with challenge and change, and these times are filled with such. We might want to examine and practice Temperance for ourselves. For me, I see it as a powerful force in my exploration and advancement of Character?and?Purpose?and?Unity.

In the arenas of individual, local and global challenge and change... and the need for sustainability in our lives, Temperance matters. Its practice strengthens us.

But, there is another aspect to Temperance that needs exploring, from my experience. That Moderation thing. And I will poke at that in my next article.

Peace, passion and prosperity.

Barry Lewis Green, aka The Unity Guy with Epic Engage

Explore your Code of Character