“Pleasure and pain test our habits; the temperate rejoice in abstinence, the profligate resent it.”
— Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book II, Chapter 3
(Translated by W.D. Ross)
🔍 Core Idea
Habits are your life’s battery health — just as phones degrade with constant 100% charging, ethical temperance thrives on 80% discipline + 20% joy. The profligate (like overused batteries) resent limits, while the temperate (optimized charging) find freedom in boundaries.
❗ Why This Matters Today
📱 Digital Consumption
Profligate: Binge-watch 6hrs → dopamine crash 🚫
Temperate: 90min Netflix + 30min podcast → fuel mindful entertainment ✅
🍟 Snack Culture
Profligate: Eat whole chip bag → sugar guilt 🚫
Temperate: 1 handful + fruit → savor guilt-free crunch ✅
🏋️ Fitness Extremes
Profligate: Lift till injury → forced rest 🚫
Temperate: 45min workout + stretch → achieve sustainable gains ✅
🚀 Action Steps
- Habit Energy Tracker
Use Battery Health app:
“Daily logs: 3 disciplined joys → 1 resisted excess → battery lifespan %” - 21-Day Reset Challenge
- Week 1: Cut 3 profligate drains (e.g., YouTube autoplay)
- Week 2: Upgrade 3 temperate charges (e.g., walk during ads)
- Temperance Alliance
Form 4 peers → weekly “battery reports” → award Most Optimized User