In the book, Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society—Where We’ve Been, How We Got Here, and Where We Need to Go, we speak of an impending economic crisis to be caused by what we call “frenetic intemperance.”
Frenetic intemperance can be defined as a restless spirit inside certain sectors of modern economy that foments a drive inside men to throw off legitimate restraints and gratify disordered passions. It is not a specifically economic problem but a moral and psychological vice that manifests itself everywhere in modern economy.
Like any vice, frenetic intemperance can be avoided on a personal level. Here are some suggestions on how this might be done.
1. Avoid speculative investments that promise huge return on investment in little time. Such offers usually do not deliver what they promise and always feed frenetic desires that create anxiety and stress.
2. Stay away from business relationships that are cold and mechanical. Treat workers like family. Respect those for whom you work.
3. Avoid trendy business gurus and books that call for radical changes that will “revolutionize” a company or keep people in a constant state of change.
4. Do not have work schedules that are inhuman and stressful. Learn to appreciate leisure.
5. Avoid compulsive buying especially during those sales frenzies around the holidays.
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6. Shun the overuse of credit cards and especially the temptation to pay only the minimal monthly amount.
7. Learn not to have everything right now. The culture of instant gratification creates a frenzied lifestyle – and economy.
8. Do not take as role models those who have money as the central axis of their lives. Admire character not a person’s bottom line.
9. Resist the temptation of seeing only quantity and cheapness. Learn to appreciate the beauty of quality and good taste.
10. Avoid lavish display, especially of fancy gadgetry that leads to a desire to keep up with the e-Jones with the latest version.
To learn what defines an organic Christian society, please see the article “Ten Outstanding Traits of Organic Christian Society.”
For more ideas on what frenetic intemperance is, please see the article “Frenetic Intemperance: This Single Vice Throws Economy and Society Out of Balance.”
Can you suggest more ways to avoid frenetic intemperance?