Catholic Info
Traditional Catholic Faith => Catholic Living in the Modern World => Topic started by: Iuvenalis on December 06, 2014, 12:37:34 AM
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I have in my life, from time to time, struggled with who I am.
That is, I wish I were not as I am because I am often "too much" for some (most?) people.
I have often felt guilty or been made to feel guilty for how I relate to the world.
I am very, very (very) choleric.
I feel I have strong passions, and it doesn't bother me, but my passions are like a stormy sea for others and it seems like the world really doesn't like the choleric types.
Everyone is about go along to get along etc
How much of this is my temperament and how much of this is my own weakness?
How do I train my will in this matter to be less expressive or less vehement?
Should I?
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If Everyone is about go along to get along, then how can you be "too much"?
Why not simply observe how stupid people are and treat them accordingly.
I am not sure why I am supposed to "respect" people who think partial birth abortion and anal sex are things that society needs to tolerate. It's clear to me that these things will destroy civilisation over time and therefore they are reasonable to fight and object to.
I treat people as I find them.
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If I may,
The passions are not good or bad in and of themselves, they are part of our nature. The use of the passions for good and not evil is what we are called to do. Remember that when the money changers angered Christ with their dealings in the Temple, he deliberately took the time to fashion cords with which to whip them and drive them away. Christ used his passions of righteous indignation and zeal for respect of God the Father to do some good, even though it hurt people. When a passion flares, a temptation rears up, or a thought comes to you, think "what good can I accomplish with this course of action?" and weigh the options. Your intellect will present options and your will move. As with any virtue or skill, start small and work up to great.
God bless,
JoeZ
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I have a PDF of a book called "The Four Temperaments" by Royo Marin, OP. It discusses in length the good and bad qualities of each of the 4 main types and what defects each type needs to work on. It must be on the Web somewhere. I think I have the actual book as well.
I just found the main part of it by using Google but when I tried to put it here, the link took me to a page that doesn't work. Guess I'm not doing the linking thing right. I saw it on
http://home.catholicweb.com
It's a great book. Well worth getting to help you understand yourself and others too. After reading this I know what to work on regarding myself and I am more understanding of others after reading about the pros and cons of the other types. I think the book at least is extensive enough to answer your questions. Perhaps the excerpt above referenced will help too.
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I have often felt guilty or been made to feel guilty for how I relate to the world.
I am very, very (very) choleric.
The following isn't a quote from a Catholic, nonetheless it still rings true:
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society."
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I have a PDF of a book called "The Four Temperaments" by Royo Marin, OP. It discusses in length the good and bad qualities of each of the 4 main types and what defects each type needs to work on. It must be on the Web somewhere. I think I have the actual book as well.
I just found the main part of it by using Google but when I tried to put it here, the link took me to a page that doesn't work. Guess I'm not doing the linking thing right. I saw it on
http://home.catholicweb.com
It's a great book. Well worth getting to help you understand yourself and others too. After reading this I know what to work on regarding myself and I am more understanding of others after reading about the pros and cons of the other types. I think the book at least is extensive enough to answer your questions. Perhaps the excerpt above referenced will help too.
http://home.catholicweb.com/reginapacis/files/RM4T.pdf