Temperance, silence, order ,resolution ,frugality ,industry ,sincerity ,justice ,moderation ,cleanliness ,tranquility ,chastity ,humility. Don’t those sound like great things? One of the greatest men that America has ever seen thought so. Around 1730, Benjamin Franklin constructed this list and called them the Thirteen Virtues. He logged each one of these virtues in a small book which he kept with him for most of his life. At each day’s end he would evaluate himself on how well he achieved each of these virtues. In his Poor Richard’s Almanack Benjamin says “Be temperate in wine, in eating, girls, and cloth, or the Gout will seize you and plague you both." However, it is important to note that Ben Franklin gorged on food, often womanized and dressed to impress.
I see this as the perfect example of what is going on in our society today. We all have these great ideas in our heads about how we should act or how we want to be. But sadly, it’s not that easy. We all falter. While Ben Franklin did make mistakes when it came to following his own rules, this does not mean we should discredit the foundation that he had created for himself. The basic ideas that he created are still of great value. I think that they show us, as Americans, that as long as we keep our goals insight it is okay for us to make mistakes. As long as we keep moving forward with our basic morals in mind, the faults we make will seem rather insignificant.
"saying 'I'm sorry' doesn't always mean 'I take back what I did'"
"If we focus on the people we still have, rather than those we've lost, the world seems a lot less lonely"
MLA CITATION-
Kurtus, Ron. "Benjamin Franklin's Thirteen Virtues." School For Champions. N.p., 7 February 2005. Web. 17 Oct 2010. <http://www.school-for-champions.com/character/franklin_virtues.htm
"saying 'I'm sorry' doesn't always mean 'I take back what I did'"
"If we focus on the people we still have, rather than those we've lost, the world seems a lot less lonely"
MLA CITATION-
Kurtus, Ron. "Benjamin Franklin's Thirteen Virtues." School For Champions. N.p., 7 February 2005. Web. 17 Oct 2010. <http://www.school-for-champions.com/character/franklin_virtues.htm
2 comments:
Breeeeeeee!! You are the best writter ever. Whenever you write it always makes me jealous. I like your own Poor Richard's quote. It really applies a lot to life today. It is relevant for a lot of people and makes them really think about what is wrong and what is right.
@kelley
its funnt because for about the first 2sentences i could tell it was your voice but as it went on I could tell you were writting a comment for English.. ha :)
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