When ‘temperance’ driven by reason becomes excessively strict, issues of ‘sadism’ or ‘masochism’ can emerge. Temperance isn’t necessarily a positive trait. ‘Pleasure’ often plays a central role in relationships involving giving or receiving abuse. Although feelings vary among individuals, there is a connection between causing pain and deriving pleasure that satisfies the craving for pain. Some people find more satisfaction in inflicting pain, while others find fulfillment in enduring suffering. Our tendencies toward pain influence how we express our personality outwardly and how we protect ourselves inwardly. If you experience stress from ‘temperance,’ you need the right kind of experience to free yourself within healthy limits. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
To concentrate, you must first give up. The choice lies in setting priorities, and to overcome the limits of concentration , you must boldly let go of things of low importance according to those priorities. Greed hinders the act of giving up. Not giving up is not merely about intelligence; it involves morality , values , and a person’s character. This is also why human beings do not succeed based on knowledge alone. Even if you decide to give up, concentration exists in another dimension. Choosing something means also giving up or rejecting something else. At this juncture, a value exchange occurs between what is chosen and what is discarded. Thus, our greed is linked to comparative values . The next choice and abandonment depend on the values I already possess. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”