Our Temperament
1. Just as every man has his own individual physical characteristics, he
also has his own peculiar disposition. It is our character which
distinguishes us and makes us what we are. Our basic temperament is
neither good nor bad in itself. It is a physical and spiritual
disposition which can equally well impel us towards virtue as towards
sin. No two people are exactly alike in
character, but it is possible to divide them all into four main
categories. It is a rather artificial classification, of course, since
everyone shares to a greater or less extent in the attributes proper to
each of the categories.
We can broadly distinguish (1) the
sanguine, (2) the nervous, (3) the choleric and (4) the phlegmatic type.
People belonging to the first category are jolly folk, lively and
intelligent and often impetuous. They are easily incited to begin aiming
at a good or a bad objective, but usually they lack constancy and
tenacity of purpose. Very often they fling themselves enthusiastically
into an enterprise, but abandon it for want of perseverance. In the
second category the nervous system is developed to an exceptionally fine
degree in comparison with the other parts of the human organism. These
people are sensitive rather than active. In their stable moments they
can accomplish a great deal in a very short time. But they are easily
discouraged. They are subject to depression and suffer a lot, sometimes
purely as the result of a disordered imagination. They need sympathy and
understanding. The choleric characters are impulsive and passionate.
They have tremendous strength of will, but this needs to be restrained
and diverted into the right channels if it is not to overflow into all
sorts or excesses. The phlegmatic, on the other hand, are dull and
apathetic by nature. They never hurry. They never get excited. They are
cold, calculating and lacking in enthusiasm. But they are masters of
themselves and if they are intelligent and capable they can do a great
deal of work with the minimum effort and emerge successfully from the
most difficult situations. It is very helpful for a man to study and
become acquainted with his own character so that he may be able to form
it as he ought.
2. There is a theory that it is impossible to
form character, because our character is and always will be what nature
has given us. "Naturam expellas furca, tamen usque recurret." (Horace,
Ep. 1, 10, 24) ("You cast out nature with a pitch-fork, but only until
such time as it comes back again.") Montaigne and Rousseau extended this
idea of Horace to the extent of holding that it would be evil as well
as superfluous to attempt to shape character, which should be what
nature intended it to be. Although there is some little truth in this
opinion., fundamentally it is false. It is true that nature cannot be
suppressed, but it can be shaped and improved by a sound and
well-directed education. Our natural temperament can be compared to an
uncultivated field covered with weeds and bushes, or to a horse which is
still untamed and unaccustomed to labour. It abounds in hidden energies
and unregulated instincts; it is dangerous to leave it to itself. It
would become, as Dante puts it, "a large forest, wild and rough."
(Inferno, 1, 5) So it is necessary for character to be formed under the
guidance of a good teacher and subject to the wisdom and grace of God.
3. Each one of us is obliged to train his own character properly. Above
all, it is necessary to know ourselves as the result of meditation and
examination of conscience so that we may be able to correct and change
our temperament. This kind of formation is slow and difficult, but we
must overcome difficulties patiently and perseveringly. There is no need
to be discouraged. Our main requirement in the battle against our evil
instincts is the grace of God for which we should pray fervently. We
need an enlightened spiritual director who will guide and encourage us.
Finally, we need the determination to succeed, without which the grace
of God cannot achieve the Christian transformation of our character.
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