Being one of the four cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, courage and temperance), temperance (self-restraint) is "a virtue for one's own subjectivity. It is a necessary quality to reveal that the self is not a puppet but the protagonist of life in terms of one's actions and words," says the Wonju Diocese Pastoral Letter of 2022.
Concepts such as "self-restraint, self-control, sacrifice, self-denial, emptiness and letting go" seemed to gradually lose their light, but their values are being highlighted again in the midst of a crisis in ecology.
"Ga glip: om begraensningens kunst i en graenselos tid" by Svend Brinkmann, the Danish psychologist and philosopher, was published in 2017 in Copenhagen.
The English translation came out with the title of "The Joy of Missing Out: The Art of Self-restraint in the Age of Excess" in 2019, and the Korean version came out under the title of "The Art of Self-restraint: Five Principles of Life to Overcome the Age of Temptation" in 2020.
Svend Brinkmann says that all countries must learn the "art of temperance and moderation" at a collective level to cope wisely with the crisis of ecology.
Self-restraint is necessary for a spiritually abundant life. "The Art of Self-restraint" asserts that "happiness depends on getting rid of unnecessary things in life" and suggests "five principles of life to overcome the age of temptation." In order to live the virtue of thoughtful temperance and moderation, we must all be in solidarity with mature citizenship, insight and critical ability.
The five principles of life are as follows:
First, reduce options. It is the art of self-restraint suggested from a psychological point of view to realize the limits of life and to have self-control.
Second, hope for only one thing we really want. It is the art of self-restraint suggested from an existential point of view, telling us that we don't have to experience more because we only need one thing.
Third, rejoice and be grateful. It is the art of self-restraint suggested from an ethical point of view, referring to the relationship with neighbors and to the ethical possibilities of human beings.
Fourth, live simply. It is the art of self-restraint suggested from a social and economic point of view. It is a decision for a sustainable life.
Fifth, be happy to fall behind. It is the art of self-restraint suggested from an aesthetic point of view. It is a form of life that makes everyday life enjoyable.
These five principles of a temperate life present how to free the self from vain desires, to become the master of our lives, and to regain true freedom and happiness.
Desire, pleasure and greed, which Socrates called "a pot with a hole in it," gave rise to "being faster, having more, and doing things more efficiently." The industrial revolution and capitalism have resulted in a serious crisis with limitless self-development and the culture of consumption.
As anthropologist Harry Wolcott (1929-2012) put it, we shall have to live "less, but more thoroughly." If we exercise our willpower, self-control can be trained like a muscle. Why don't we live a simple life, being satisfied with having less?
The author is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul (fsp.pauline.or.kr.) living and giving the Good News to the world by means of social communication.