I am reading finance blogger Charles Hugh Smith's book, Self-Reliance in the 21st Century, and his concept of self-reliance differs from Ralph Waldo Emerson's call to resist conformity. Smith advocates for reducing one's supply chain dependency while cultivating "trusted personal networks." This passage particularly struck me:
Identify the emotion driving the bad habit and find a more ‘virtuous’ or more ‘powerful’ emotion that drives ending or reversing the bad habit.
For example: desiring comfort drives drinking alcohol; desiring agency drives not drinking alcohol; the experience of agency is so much sweeter than comfort--or put another way--the sensation of refraining from temptation is so much sweeter than whatever the temptation is directing you towards.
Explore and familiarize yourself with the emotions surrounding agency and call them up when confronted with alcohol. Mmmmmm DAMN it feels good to be virtuous!
I am inspired by the concept of the "elimination diet." I embarked upon one of these with food several years ago, and it successfully helped diagnose my gut problems: what foods I am super sensitive to, what foods I can have occasionally in moderation, and what foods I can eat with impunity.
I have found something similar to be helpful in my relationship with other things beyond food. This winter I am going through a progressive de-loading of stimulants from my life (stimulants defined broadly), to let myself settle in a minimal homeostasis from which it will be more clear, as I experimentally bring things back, what things my life finds wholesome or not.
My biggest success to date with this method has been with alcohol. Several years ago, disgusted by my years-long problematic relationship with booze, I quit drinking entirely, with no set end point. It ended up lasting 9 months, at which point it felt appropriate to break my fast. Since then, I have not been a compulsive drinker; it is far easier to say 'No,' and to *feel* my no (I seem to be more sensitive now, so need less alcohol to feel satisfyingly buzzed) – I feel in effortless control.
My favorite temperance game is how to use IG without it highjacking my brain and time. Ive done many experiments. Things that kinda work:
-having alternative distractions on hand (a good book)
-only using it on the computer
-detox of 1 week or more to reset brain.
The next experiment is: not posting stories (not contributing content to the most potent attention stealing drug) and hiding all the stories of people I follow (the most trapping feature for me).
What is foolish temperence training? My mind leaps to dieting and most new year's promises. Forcing yourself not to indulge through a sheer lack of will, a condition that holds until a moment of weakness. Meeting the force of desire with an inhibiting (shaming/judging) force.
A less foolish approach? Create a temple, a place with reduced temptation, where you can gradually build up the foundations for stable discernment. Gradually increase temptations, learning how to face them with equanimity.
Building your inner fortress, starting with the foundation.
Interesting that everyone here associates Temperance with alcohol. I guess the suffrage movement coined that phrase last century.
Reclaiming the concept, I see it more akin to a form of self regulation that does not require denial, or willful repression, considering that all rusty taps spew at first, before running clear. Perhaps temperance is a subtle process of discernment. Which do you feed, is my current thinking under the full wolf moon.
Charles Hugh Smith's 'The Art of Survival, Taoism and the Warring States' was a huge influence on me when I first found it in Dark Mountain 2, in about 2014. Here it is in case you haven't come across it. Much wisdom, temperance and conviviality in this. https://dark-mountain.net/the-art-of-survival-taoism-and-the-warring-states/
Balance. Both and. A spectral non linear way of embracing a multitude. I am starting to ponder that those of us on the highly functioning end of the spectrum already have that genetic advantage.
I like Andreessen but it felt like his manifesto was written on a dopamine high and just avoided discussion of any of the real issues with Techno-Capitalism. To me, it wasn't really a manifesto, more like a motivational speech given to company employees whose moral was collapsing in the wake of terrible quarterly figures.
I've found that actively fighting temptation is foolish. It serves only to protect my self-image as strong and moral, and usually exhausts my emotional resources with its judgement and rage. For me, temptation is an indication of a deeper issue of misplaced value or unchecked perspective. Usually, this misvaluation is of time, effort, health, or money.
By instead working on building up something related to the temptation in terms of its value or perspective that's positive in my life, I find my attention is drawn away from the temptation and toward temperance without the need for active struggle. This approach has greatly helped me with many common psychological addictions.
Identify the emotion driving the bad habit and find a more ‘virtuous’ or more ‘powerful’ emotion that drives ending or reversing the bad habit.
For example: desiring comfort drives drinking alcohol; desiring agency drives not drinking alcohol; the experience of agency is so much sweeter than comfort--or put another way--the sensation of refraining from temptation is so much sweeter than whatever the temptation is directing you towards.
Explore and familiarize yourself with the emotions surrounding agency and call them up when confronted with alcohol. Mmmmmm DAMN it feels good to be virtuous!
I am inspired by the concept of the "elimination diet." I embarked upon one of these with food several years ago, and it successfully helped diagnose my gut problems: what foods I am super sensitive to, what foods I can have occasionally in moderation, and what foods I can eat with impunity.
I have found something similar to be helpful in my relationship with other things beyond food. This winter I am going through a progressive de-loading of stimulants from my life (stimulants defined broadly), to let myself settle in a minimal homeostasis from which it will be more clear, as I experimentally bring things back, what things my life finds wholesome or not.
My biggest success to date with this method has been with alcohol. Several years ago, disgusted by my years-long problematic relationship with booze, I quit drinking entirely, with no set end point. It ended up lasting 9 months, at which point it felt appropriate to break my fast. Since then, I have not been a compulsive drinker; it is far easier to say 'No,' and to *feel* my no (I seem to be more sensitive now, so need less alcohol to feel satisfyingly buzzed) – I feel in effortless control.
My favorite temperance game is how to use IG without it highjacking my brain and time. Ive done many experiments. Things that kinda work:
-having alternative distractions on hand (a good book)
-only using it on the computer
-detox of 1 week or more to reset brain.
The next experiment is: not posting stories (not contributing content to the most potent attention stealing drug) and hiding all the stories of people I follow (the most trapping feature for me).
What is foolish temperence training? My mind leaps to dieting and most new year's promises. Forcing yourself not to indulge through a sheer lack of will, a condition that holds until a moment of weakness. Meeting the force of desire with an inhibiting (shaming/judging) force.
A less foolish approach? Create a temple, a place with reduced temptation, where you can gradually build up the foundations for stable discernment. Gradually increase temptations, learning how to face them with equanimity.
Building your inner fortress, starting with the foundation.
Interesting that everyone here associates Temperance with alcohol. I guess the suffrage movement coined that phrase last century.
Reclaiming the concept, I see it more akin to a form of self regulation that does not require denial, or willful repression, considering that all rusty taps spew at first, before running clear. Perhaps temperance is a subtle process of discernment. Which do you feed, is my current thinking under the full wolf moon.
Charles Hugh Smith's 'The Art of Survival, Taoism and the Warring States' was a huge influence on me when I first found it in Dark Mountain 2, in about 2014. Here it is in case you haven't come across it. Much wisdom, temperance and conviviality in this. https://dark-mountain.net/the-art-of-survival-taoism-and-the-warring-states/
What is the less foolish way to engage in temperance training?
Experimenting with Walking Gently -- which seems to invite a shift, by its very nature.
Balance. Both and. A spectral non linear way of embracing a multitude. I am starting to ponder that those of us on the highly functioning end of the spectrum already have that genetic advantage.
I like Andreessen but it felt like his manifesto was written on a dopamine high and just avoided discussion of any of the real issues with Techno-Capitalism. To me, it wasn't really a manifesto, more like a motivational speech given to company employees whose moral was collapsing in the wake of terrible quarterly figures.
Discipline = Freedom
I've found that actively fighting temptation is foolish. It serves only to protect my self-image as strong and moral, and usually exhausts my emotional resources with its judgement and rage. For me, temptation is an indication of a deeper issue of misplaced value or unchecked perspective. Usually, this misvaluation is of time, effort, health, or money.
By instead working on building up something related to the temptation in terms of its value or perspective that's positive in my life, I find my attention is drawn away from the temptation and toward temperance without the need for active struggle. This approach has greatly helped me with many common psychological addictions.