Temperance

tem . per . ance /noun/ abstinence, abstention, sobriety, self-restraint, moderation, self-control especially in eating and drinking.

Someone suggested to me sometime ago that it would be a good thing to  bring back some of the old words that have gone out of use. I thought that was a great idea. For instance, when was the last time you heard “fandangle” or   “spectacles” or “petticoat” used in normal conversation or in the media?  These words were once in regular use but no longer are. Words go out of fashion just as dress styles do. That is part of the nature of language. A word that used to be popular at one time fades from use, becomes old-fashioned,  and something else takes its place. The word may even undergo what linguists call pejoration, that is, it loses its reputation and is therefore  not used much anymore.

Is there a word that you  would like to bring back? You may look at the word I’ve chosen for this week and think, Oh, no! I wouldn’t want to bring back  that one, but I strongly believe that the word temperance should be brought back into popular use. It was ridiculed into obscurity, but this is the time when it should be making a comeback. Temperance has several meanings; its most suitable meaning for my purpose is “moderation.” And what could be more relevant today than a return to moderation, which is lacking in nearly every aspect of life?

The thing  that  sent the word temperance underground  was its association with the 19th century Temperance Movement in which a very vocal group of individuals waged war against alcohol. The Prohibition era, when mostly women marched and demanded action to limit or outlaw the consumption of liquor, tarnished the word and sent it into hiding. But it is time to bring it back with its meaning of moderation that is so clearly  applicable to many areas of life today.

In the city where I live, one noticeable growth industry is restaurants of nearly every kind. There seems to be a new one popping up each week. Food, like sex,  sells, and from the packed parking lots at  the restaurants and the long drive-through lines at the fast food places, it seems business couldn’t be better.  True, eating can be an exceedingly satisfying experience, but the plain truth is  people eat too much.  I am sure you have noticed  the serving sizes in the restaurants. They  are so large that one plateful of food can often suffice for two people and have leftovers. This is even more evident in the all-you-can-eat establishments. Some people ask for a doggie bag to carry off the excess, but most simply eat it all.  The results of this kind of eating  are everywhere, helping to fuel  what is now being called the obesity epidemic. What is needed is moderation in our eating habits. Nutritionists who are trying to help us eat less tell us to eat from a small plate, certainly  not the huge platters we are used to in restaurants. With a small plate, we put less food on it. It looks like a lot, but we eat less.

A health professional gave me a colorful booklet a few months ago detailing how most of the major diseases today are lifestyle diseases and can be prevented or treated by the choices we make  in how we eat and drink. Quite a revelation!  The booklet suggests that we moderate our use of sugar ( and that goes for all sweet drinks), salt, and alcohol, among other things. A lot of of us have a sweet tooth. We love our cakes and pies and sodas, but these have been shown to be harmful to our health. We could reduce the level of the incidence of diabetes and other diseases among us if we reduced our consumption of sugar. In the  use  of all sugars,  our watch-word should be  moderation.

I once wrote an article titled “Don’t Shake It Out,” which got a good reader reaction. It was even translated into Spanish. The article explored the negative effects of salt (sodium) in the diet. The connection between high blood pressure and abnormal consumption of salt has been well documented, yet some individuals sprinkle unnatural amounts of salt on their food even before they begin to eat. It’s like a ritual. Moderation  would have us sticking to a teaspoon of salt per day.

You may say I don’t drink alcohol, I don’t eat sweets or sprinkle my food with unnecessary amounts of salt, and I certainly don’t pig out in restaurants. But how about working far more hours than you should?  Overwork is one of the sins of the age. We have our reasons for working sixty-hour weeks or working two jobs that amount to above-normal hours.  One of the most common reasons for the excessive amount of time working is  to get more things. Folk who regularly work fourteen-hour days say they do it to keep up, but they are actually keeping themselves down physically. The research shows that overwork kills. The body needs rest to restore itself physically and  mentally–and yes, emotionally. I recently heard a segment on National Public Radio about companies that offer their employees free food so that they can work longer (later) hours.  Here we have employers using food to lure their employees into intemperance. The Psalmist weighs in on the matter by saying, “It is vain to sit up late . . . for so he gives his beloved sleep.”  Sleep, like exercise, is natural medicine that the body needs.

In our age dominated by technology, some individuals are absorbed by its use, but more and more research  is showing  that the overuse of technology is not good for us. So it’s interesting to see on some talk shows  people, among them celebrities,  telling about their efforts to limit their time spent with technology–their smartphones and computers. They don’t use the words temperance or moderation,  but that is what they are striving for. This area poses a major problem, for young people in particular, who have a hard time letting go of their technological devices. A study conducted in 2010 at the University of Maryland–College Park asked 2oo students to abstain from all forms of media for 24 hours. The researchers found that the students were  “incredibly addicted to media.”  One of the respondents wrote, “I love my phone, and I don’t want to live in a world without technology.” For that student and others like him, “temperance” or “moderation” might be a dirty word.

Abstinence means “to give up, to do without.”  Concerning our modern ways of eating, working  and using technology, there is no likelihood that abstinence will become the norm, although in the case of alcohol, it should be the goal. But we all ought to aim for moderation in daily living. Moderation has been defined as a wise use of that which is good and avoidance of that which is harmful. The Wise Man Solomon said, “There is a time for everything.” We shouldn’t overdo any one thing;  make room for balanced living.  Benjamin Franklin, in his Autobiography, records a list of thirteen virtues which he created to guide him in his life choices. At the top of his list  is “Temperance,” and he  gives his own definition: “Eat not to dullness, drink not to elevation.”  This is the essence of moderation. For the  sake of our health, I say let’s bring back the word temperance.

Blessings,

Judith

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“The fruit of the Spirit is . . . temperance.” Galatians 5:23