Temperance is the best physic
Moderation in eating and drinking protects us from many diseases. It is the best form of medicine and it keeps us from falling ill. Most of us suffer from various ailments because we do not lead a regulated and a balanced life, and ignore this sound piece of advice. So long as our bodies are strong enough to be resistant to diseases and get away with any degree of intemperance, we think that this vanity is blown to bits. We suddenly wake up to the bitter truth that our irregular habits have finally begun to tell upon our health; that we have, after all, ruined our good health, the most valuable gift of nature, by our foolish extravagance. This spendthriftness of one’s energies, the thoughtless disssipation of one’s valuable possessions—Health-is an irreparable loss. The spendthrift of physique finds that those, who was of delicate constitution, are maintaining better health because they led lives of temperance whereas he squandered the precious treasure and has come to grief. He burnt his candle at both ends and ruined himself. But temperance is needed not only for our physical wellbeing. In fact, it is a necessary condition of our happiness in all spheres of life. Excess is not ruinous of health only, it ruins everything. Excess of everything is bad. Intemperance is equally harmful. Happiness like health can be secured by the observance of rule of the ‘golden mean’ which the wise Greeks discovered long ago. Mahatma Buddha’s famous middle path who also enunciated at the same time.
