I have seen in other people's lives, and experienced in my own, how crucial it is to have self-control. I have seen people go through so much misery because they gave into wrong or unhealthy choices for the cause of immediate pleasure or relief. I believe that it is crucial that we learn to NOT leave ourselves at the mercy of our desires and that we train ourselves to follow the arrow toward self control instead of going down the road of free reigning passions which leads to misery. I learned when I was a child, that if I did not control my anger and I hit someone, I lost a privilege. I was not allowed to go out with friends or play doll house, because I had lost control of myself. I learned that there were consequences if I let my feelings have full reign. When I got older, I was given more freedom and was encouraged to decide some things for myself, but still there were consequences. If I ate too many sweets because I wanted the present pleasure of eating them, I felt sick, if I stayed up really late because I wanted to finish a fun activity, I felt exhausted and cranky the next day, if I didn't study for a test at school because I wanted to be with friends instead, I got a bad grade and disappointed myself and others. I learned that though doing things that are fun in the present without giving any thought to the future may feel easy and fun, it's not worth it when you realize how much pain, difficulty or sadness will come as a result. I learned that giving into your anger, frustrations, and any other intense emotions and acting regardless of the outcome, may give you temporary relief, but it will also likely give you long lasting feelings of self-reproach and regret. Though I definitely didn't thank them at the time, when I look back on my upbringing I feel very grateful to those who taught me how to control myself, and who showed me, by their own example, the beauty of making choices that are right even though they are very hard to make and stick to. I am especially grateful for this when I compare it with those who haven't been taught how to make sacrifices for their good, and to control themselves, or if they have been taught, were never able to make it a firm part of their habits and lives and so struggle at the mercy of their passions, desires and impulses. I have seen wonderful people wreck their lives and bring themselves pain, trouble and heartache because they didn't have self control. They gave into wrong things in a relationship, ate too much, or spent money on things they couldn't afford, because they had never learned how to put off present pleasure for the sake of doing what is best for themselves and others. They had never gotten in the habit of following that right arrow and had gotten into a deep rut and didn't know how to get out. Things get even messier when those who don't practice self-control start to tempt others who are ignorant or weak to do wrong things. When I see, hear or know of someone suffering from lack of self control, I feel very sad for them. But when I know that someone is tempting another to follow the left arrow toward misery, I feel angry. In my opinion, it's bad enough to do wrong things yourself, though I am certainly not judging anyone, I do wrong things sometimes, we all do. But when someone intentionally leads others to do sinful or unhealthy things, their choices have reached a even more horrible level. (Continued in, We Should Never Lead Anyone Astray)