What is self-restraint? Self-restraint (the concept of “Sophrosune” in ancient Athens), which the ancient Greek philosophers mentioned over and over, is said to be the most basic virtue leading to learning all the other virtues. It is the core of an ethical life.
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 Korea Times/ Thoughts of the Times/
March 8 (online), 9 (offline), 2022
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