In 1814, hundreds of thousands of gallons of beer broke through a wall of a brewery and lethally disrupted a wake with yet more death. Eight people were killed that day by beer, and they were not even trying to consume alcohol. Three were five years old or younger. Wooden vats were slowly phased out as the storage mechanism for concentrated brews as a result of this unfortunate event in England. It is recorded as the London Beer Flood.
In 1919, more than two million gallons of molasses made up waves as tall as 40 feet that moved as fast as 35 miles per hour through the streets of Boston. The devastating deluge destroyed buildings and claimed 21 lives. Unfortunately, many people actually were slower than molasses then. This accident killed people because the storage vat was not built appropriately with thick-enough walls. It is known as the Great Molasses Flood.
How about the OceanGate debacle two years ago? I do not want to unpack this recent tragedy any further than I need to because the lunacy of it upsets me deeply. Guess what, though? The hull or shell was once again not thick enough to perform optimally under pressure.
The only real danger that exists is man himself.
-Carl Jung
He is the great danger…
we are the origin of all coming evil.
Think about it personally. How much pressure can you pack into yourself before exploding? What if you practiced temperance instead? Then, from such a state of even balance and control, you have room to spare on both sides when you start to get too drained or too filled. It is important to adequately manage your surface pressure.
Most things that stay under too much pressure for too long often produce poor results. I know they say no pressure, no diamonds, but there has to be a temperate balance to the process. You need to first train and temper a shell that is made hard enough to handle all that life may inevitably throw at you. Just because you have thick skin, though, does not mean you should not still have a soft and gooey center. Finding a sweet balance between the two is key. You should be able to continue caring for yourself and others deeply and truly while also remaining unaffected by any and all external influences and persuasions.
A tried-and-tested level of proven self-control. Steering yourself as best as you can in the best direction for your lane in the ways that are best for you and your progress. Know when to press a pressure release valve to let off some steam, and also know when to build up the pressure inside if you are starting to run dry. Temperance is about toeing the finest line of possible perfection that we are capable of. Will we be perfect? No. Should we stop striving for it? Also no. We should fine-tune the balance, and we should start by strengthening our exterior shells while maintaining a polite permeability as permitted.
Temperate temperance is best;
-Mark Twain
intemperate temperance injures the cause of temperance.
And hey, even now, when I still watch a good movie, I can single-handedly stomach an entire bucket of popcorn during that sitting. Like any good thing in life, there is a best time and a best place for it all. I hope you will tread towards temperancy terrifically.
May you master your tempests and weather your storms with strength and ease.
Maybe it is wise. Maybe it is dumb. Time will tell.