Virtuous Living

Virtuous Living

Benjamin Franklin should be a well-known name to anyone living (or rather raised and educated) in the United States.  He was a statesman, author, tinkerer, diplomat, and quite possibly a very busy ladies man (Ecenbarger, 1990).  And while it may seem odd to take moral guidance from a man who had numerous affairs his advice isn’t always bad. Franklin listed 13 virtues for healthy living and they are silence, order, resolution, frugality, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility. Franklin certainty didn’t live up to his own chastity standards but his overall message is still a good message.

I have been asked to choose three of these virtues and how I apply them to my own life.

Silence: Let me start by saying that silence is golden.  I have read that we have two ears and one mouth so that we may only speak half of what we hear. Franklin wasn’t saying that we should never speak. He was saying that our interactions should have value. We should seek to add to the conversation or ideas and simply speak to hear our own voices.  I find this virtue to be personally agreeable, as I don’t do well with idle chitchat. That being said, it has its place. Being a good conversationalist can go a long way towards making quality friends and developing good relationships. I tend to think of this virtue as avoiding malicious speech and not gossiping.

Tranquility: It probably comes as no surprise that someone that values silence also values tranquility. But Franklin was referring to not being upset over trifles. This is something I apply daily. Maybe the virtue of my work has exposed me to how truly bad the human condition can be or maybe my own dealing’s with a life-threatening infection two years ago but I see no point in getting worked up over small issues. For that matter, I rarely let myself get too worked up over major issues. Instead I try to approach situations with a sense of rationality.

Frugality: Here is a virtue with which I have struggled in the past. I tend to be generous, both to myself and with others; I have a decent income yet I occasionally still find myself wondering where all the money went at the end of the month. I have been devoting a lot of effort into developing this virtue. I pay attention to a budget. I make almost all of my purchases with cash rather than credit and I’ve learned to not give in to impulse buying.  It hasn’t been an easy lesson to learn and I still find myself thinking, “well it’s only ten dollars” which is a dangerous line of thought!

Virtuous values are something that people develop.  Benjamin Franklin may have had vices, but who among us doesn’t?  We can often aspire to virtuous traits and still fall short. The danger comes in rationalizing away our shortcomings.  I would hate to go through life having never failed or fallen short of a goal. How else would we learn perspective? 

References

Ecenbarger, W. (1990, May 6). Ben Franklin`s Dangerous Liaisons. Retrieved from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-05-06/features/9002070774_1_poor-richard-lucy-mercer-franklin-delano-roosevelt