Reference: The Happiness Rundown
2. BE TEMPERATE
2-1. Do not take harmful drugs. People who take drugs do not always see the real world in front of them. They are not really there. On a highway, in casual contact, in a home, they can be very dangerous to you. People mistakenly believe they “feel better” or “act better” or are “only happy” when on drugs. This is just another delusion. Sooner or later the drugs will destroy them physically. Discourage people from taking drugs. When they are doing so, encourage them to seek help in getting off them.
2-2. Do not take alcohol to excess. People who take alcohol are not alert. It impairs their ability to react even when it seems to them they are more alert because of it. Alcohol has some medicinal value. It can be grossly overestimated. Don’t let anyone who has been drinking drive you in a car or fly you in a plane. Drinking can take lives in more ways than one. A little liquor goes a long way; don’t let too much of it wind up in unhappiness or death. Deter people from excessive drinking.
Observing the points above, one becomes more physically able to enjoy life.
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Exercise
0. Make sure you have completed the exercise section at Happiness: Precept 1-5. Study the precept above.
1. Check the responses to the following questions for false data (see false data steps at Happiness: Prologue).
(a) “Have you been told or taught not to be temperate?”
(b) “Do you have any rules or ideas contrary to being temperate?”
(c) “Have you been led to believe that you shouldn’t be temperate?”
(d) “Do you know of anything that conflicts with being temperate?”
(e) “Do you have any false data about being temperate?”
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2. Go over each of the following questions repetitively, until there are no more answers:
(a) “How have others transgressed against the precept: ‘Be temperate’?”
(b) “How have you transgressed against the precept: ‘Be temperate’?”
Do a quick review to see if you did not miss any answers on this step. You should be feeling good about this step.
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3. See if the following question definitely brings up some name you know of:
“Is there any specific person in your past who really transgressed against the precept: ‘Be temperate’?”
If no name comes up then go to step 4. if a name has come up, then continue with step 3 as follows:
“Can you recall an exact moment when you observed ___(name)___ transgressing this precept?”
If there is a realization, go to step 4. Otherwise, continue contemplating as follows, until there is some realization.
“Is there any time when you wanted to be like ___(name)___ ?”
“Is there any time when you decided that not being temperate was a good thing?”
“Did you ever do anything bad to ___(name)___ ? (Get all possible answers)
“Are there any differences between ___(name)___ and yourself?”
“Are there any similarities between ___(name)___ and yourself?”
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4. Handle any anomalies that come up on the following question by looking at the anomaly more closely.
”Do you have any reservations about being temperate?”
If the anomaly does not resolve then review the precept as well as all the exercise steps above to see if anything was missed. Then do step 4 again. When there is no anomaly go to step 5.
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5. Contemplate on the following question.
“Do you have any reservations about getting someone else to be temperate?”
If any reservation comes up, then consider the following:
“How would that be a problem?”
Get answers to this question until there are no reservations.
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