Thankful for Unmet Temptations

gabriel conroy

Gabriel Conroy [pseudonym] is an ex-graduate student. He is happily married with no children and has about a million nieces and nephews. The views expressed by Gabriel are his alone and do not necessarily reflect those of his spouse or employer.

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3 Responses

  1. This is a really good piece.

    One of my sons is really religious and he takes steps not to put himself into the way of temptation. He doesn’t drink and he will actually get up and leave the room if there is anything approaching a sex scene on tv. He’s not judgemental or anything, it’s just something he’s chosen for himself and while at first I was worried if that meant he was warped or something, over time I have come to admire it.

    I always give in to temptation. Luckily the things I’m tempted to do are fairly minor and stupid but how much of that is because I’ve put myself in a position where I’m only tempted by minor and stupid things?Report

    • Thanks Kristen for your comments.

      For what it’s worth, I had heard the the New England Puritans valued wine and alcohol in part because it provided a temptation, on the assumption that temperance (defined not as abstaining, but as not overdoing it) wasn’t virtuous if one wasn’t tempted to overdo it. I’m not sure how true that story is, but I like it.

      I always give in to temptation. Luckily the things I’m tempted to do are fairly minor and stupid but how much of that is because I’ve put myself in a position where I’m only tempted by minor and stupid things?

      That’s probably true of me, too. I do try (not always or even usually successfully) to put myself in positions where I won’t be tempted in the first place.Report

      • Interesting. I think that was a lot of people’s take on “The Pence Rule” too – if Mike Pence is so honorable, why doesn’t he trust himself alone around women that aren’t his wife?

        I’m not sure. I think the human brain is more malleable than we give it credit for, and things like booze and lust can mess with our self-control, so maybe it’s better not to let ourselves even take a step down that path.

        But where’s the fun in that?Report