A quick query to the dictionary tells us that the virtue of temperance has something to do with moderation in food, drink and sex.
St. Augustine (354-430) points out that food, drink and sex are realities that feed on human life and enable both the individual’s survival (food and drink) and the survival of the human species as a whole (gender).
See, however, what is strange: it is these forces of life that can generate the type of disorder that leads to death. Therefore, disorders that deliver men and women to the pleasure of food and drink (gluttony) and sex (lust) seem to be more powerful than all the others. Gluttony and lust can disrupt more than other diseases. That is, interestingly, it seems that, in the very center of human life, there is something that can take you to death.
We insist that this idea does not go unnoticed, because it is very important: the pleasure of food and drink in the preservation of the individual. If someone stop eating, he or she will surely die. Something similar happens with the sexual delight in the conservation of the species. If all humankind decided to stop having sex, the human race would cease to exist. However, these trends are exactly about the preservation of the individual and the human species, created by God, that can clutter about to take us to death.
Therefore the vice of gluttony is not an entity with its own existence, like a parasite to be pulled or a demon to be expelled. If so, temperance could be achieved with an appetite suppressant or stomach surgery. But modern medicine has proven that the problem is not in the body. Surgery and medication can help, but nothing will replace the virtue of temperance.
No gift, no power given by God can be neglected, but made orderly can be directed to Him Neutering Origen was never approved by the Church (and also did not solve his sexual problems, but when he discovered this, it was too late).Rooting out the energies we used to sin is not possible nor a desirable reality, because the trends that most can disrupt the soul are exactly those at the center of human life,
Turning to the comparison of a car, we could say: the problem of driving disasters will not be resolved with the removal of the motor vehicle, emptying the gas tank or prohibiting the driver to use the accelerator pedal, it is characteristic of nature of the car to produce motion, kinetic energy. The problem can only be solved satisfactorily if this power is limited and directed by the steering wheel.
This is the type of system proposed by temperance. This is “spice”, an order given to the energies of life we receive from God. To season foods, a good cook knows the right measure and how to use each of condiments.We need to learn how to use the spices of life, so it does not lose flavor.