Spoiled Brat

   Courage has to do with noble acts while temperance has to do with noble avoidance. Both have the goal of something better in the future.  Courage concerns present pains that are endured for a future pleasure. Temperance concerns present pleasures that are avoided for a more noble pleasure in the future. Self indulgence is when a person only has present pleasure as his goal and he is pained if he doesn't get it immediately. Self indulgence and cowardice lean toward instant gratification and relief by sacrificing the future. Self indulgence is considered worse because it goes after pleasure while cowardice is after self preservation. No one faults a person for that. But it seems that the root of these virtues is some form of patience.
Now the amount of temperance needed varies by personality, experience and conditions. A compulsive person is being far more temperate than a passive person for the most part. A passive person is mistaken as being somewhat temperate but a compulsive person, although seeming to be indulgent, may actually be using far more temperance. It is the same when we talk about courage. A reckless person may seem courageous but an anxious person doing the same thing will be using a lot more courage than the average guy.  Someone who is under a great amount of stress might have trouble with temperance as compared to a person who has it easy. Others have experience and they shouldn't criticize a beginner since they were slow in the beginning themselves.  These principles are important to remember so we can be objective toward ourselves and others. Not forming futile conclusions out of guilt or condemnation, but seeing our objectives clearly and using patience to get there.
We could call temperance maturity. When raising children, we want them to obey certain principles and not to be driven by appetites. We know that no appetite a person has can be completely satisfied. If allowed to rule a person, they will expel all reason and make them into what we would call a "spoiled brat". So we expect a child to listen to mom, dad, and mentors to live according to good principles. In the same way a temperate man will try to have his appetites in harmony with the rational principle. To aim at the noble mark; doing what he ought, as he ought, when he ought. Rational principles become the director when a person is on his own. The ought's of course depending on the personality, conditions and experiences of that particular person. Rational principles are known by every sane person and every individual has the ability to apply them to his own life in the right way. Studying Ethics is a good way to hone in the skills...