Gluttony
Gluttony is overindulgence and overconsumption to the point of waste. It’s commonly associated with eating. St. Thomas Aquinas took his criticism of gluttony to another level by breaking down various ways it can be committed. Do you like expensive food? Glutton. Do you look forward to your meals? Glutton. Anyone else feeling attacked?
Your hellish punishment is to do more of what you love — eat — but the menu is rats, spiders and toads. Pass.
Wisdom About Gluttony
Gluttony, do not eat thy neighbor's wife's popcorn.
Jimmy Buffett
The glutton is much more than an animal and much less than a man.
Honoré de Balzac
The flesh endures the storms of the present alone; the mind, those of the past and future as well as the present. Gluttony is a lust of the mind.
Thomas Hobbes
Gluttony and drunkenness have two evils attendant on them; they make the carcass smart, as well as the pocket.
Marcus Aurelius
There is a difference between eating and drinking for strength and from mere gluttony.
Henry David Thoreau
Gluttony is not a secret vice.
Orson Welles
Virtual Antidote: Prudence
The virtue of Prudence encompasses practical wisdom, insight, and knowledge. As St. Thomas Aquinas remarks- “Prudence is right reason in action.”
Ways to Practice Prudence
- Ask for, listen to and consider the advice of others.
- Make a list of at least ten options to consider and remember that not acting is always a choice.
- List the upside and downside of various choices.
- Learn more about each possibility by studying those who have made similar choices and the outcomes of those actions.
- Take time to make the choice and allow insight to come to you.