oomis:
When the ikkar of halacha says something is muttar, and then someone comes along and decides to be machmir on something related to that halacha, something that there is no real halachic reason to do (like not wearing colored shirts), that is making something basically rather trivial into a be-all and end-all, which by itself actually can result in trivializing the very important concept that a Ben Torah should dress with derech eretz. Does it REALLY matter to Hashem if the shirt is white, as long as it is clean, neat, pressed and worn by someone who has the right hashkafa towards learning and mktzvos? (Don’t bother to answer, because if you believe the answer is “Yes,” you have proved my point to me).
I’m not sure if wearing a white shirt falls under the category of chumra, I think it is more of a minhag, but either way you make a great point. If someone is so machmir to wear a white shirt that he would rather wear a dirty, wrinkled, stained white shirt then a clean, pressed, blue one then we have a problem. He is clearly missing the point.
No chumra can override a mitzva d’oraysa. This reminds me of the story of a guy in a yeshiva who used to buy his own milk and keep it in the public refrigerator. He would notice every day that other people were drinking from it without his permission so he put a sign saying that this is private and no one can take without permission, people still took. He then added “lo sigzol” to the sign and still people took. Finally he wrote “Chalav Stam” on it and it wasn’t touched.
The problem with chumros is that people tend to forget what their priorities should be. “Chalav stam” should not be more of a deterrent than “lo sigzol”.
Another story, someone was prescribed medicine by a doctor. He had a choice of 2 pills to take. He asked his posek if either of these pills had any Kashrus issues. The posek answered that Pill A is made with pig fat and Pill B is made with Chalav Stam. The person then asked, “so which should I take?”
If you want to keep chumros and they don’t interfere with your keeping actual Halacha (including bein adam l’chaveiro) than all the power to you, but if it does interfere then you are missing the boat.