Gluttony and Moderation

Gluttony is over-indulgence in something. The most frequent association to gluttony is to food and drink, but gluttony can really be about anything. Sex, gardening, crossword puzzles, travel, movies, prayer, electronics, anything. When we focus on our desire in some experience, whether physical, intellectual, emotional or spiritual, then we have turned our back on others and are devoid of love. We are gluttons.

Americans are good at gluttony. We have more self-indulgences than any other group on the face of the Earth. And we still want more. We've turned it into a way of dealing with life. Instead of facing the pain of the world, we all too often dodge reality by wrapping ourselves up in some indulgence. An extra pint of ice cream that helps us forget how painful our current relationship is. Some extreme sports to distract us from a bad family situation. An expensive meal at a four star restaurant to transport us away from a rotten work situation. We're invited to gluttony by every advertising executive out there. Americans are just really good at the gluttony game.

So what does moderation look like, if it's such a wonderful thing? Does it mean living like monks in 8' by 4' stone cells on wooden slat beds? Is that moderation? No, that's asceticism, which can be like a form a gluttony in reverse. Moderation is all about balance and health. Instead of the relative sense of going for as much as you can in an effort to turn your back on something unpleasant, moderation is the absolute sense of focusing on what would be best. Indulgence isn't categorically wrong, but it has the nasty tendency to encourage more and more of it once you get started on the practice.

The gluttonous crossword puzzle solver spends too much time on crossword puzzles and not enough time on his friends and family. The crosswords are a place to hide, to be distracted from his life. This means that he is not thinking in loving terms, but rather in selfish terms. As with lust, gluttony is usually rooted in circumstances that encouraged the person to think of their vice as something normal and natural. This is especially true when gluttonous parents turn their backs on their children. The children learn that self-indulgence is what people do, so they grow up living that lie. Gluttony is normal for them.

Moderation isn't easy. Temptation to gluttony is everywhere in our society. Gluttony of music, of food, of possessions, of clothing. These are all things that we are encouraged into by our society. Moderation says that we won't buy those new shoes. Why? Because we don't have any real need for them. Gluttony says that we'll buy it because it's "fun" or it would be a great match for that handbag you just bought. The rationalization isn't important. Only that you are investing of your time and attention in selfish pleasures instead of thinking in terms of whether or not you need what you are indulging yourself in.

Yes, I know that the notion of "need" is foreign to so many Americans. But "need" is the root of a loving attitude when it comes to turning away from gluttony. When we embrace moderation, we indulge in material things and in activities only so much as we have need for. If we focused on needs instead of wants, we would be far better practiced in self-restraint and the ability to act willfully through conscious choice. Moderation is the incredibly loving act of will that says I will do a certain thing because it is good for me and for others. I will not do the gluttonous thing because it is not good for me and for others. Those who practice moderation have a sense of love of themselves and of others. That is their motivation; to have the greatest good come from their acts. As opposed to the gluttonous attitude that says "I'm going to focus on my petty desires for now."

Take some time to examine your favorite indulgences and figure out whether you're doing them out of a sense of the value that they bring to your life and to the lives of those you love - or if you're just hiding in a cocoon of indulgence that succeeds in shutting out the world. Where it's the latter, you're not doing yourself any favors.