13 virtues of the American inventor and politician that will help you improve the quality of your life.
"The tragedy of life is that we get old too soon and wise too late."
Benjamin Franklin.
Um ... Benjamin Franklin? This name doesn't sound new to me, but… who exactly is it ?!
In addition to being the big face printed on the $ 100 bills, Benjamin Franklin he was […] an American scientist and politician. He worked as a journalist, publicist, author, philanthropist, abolitionist, diplomat, inventor and was among the protagonists of American Revolution. Franklin is best known for his experiments with electricity and for the idea of ​​establishing summer time, he is also known as one of the founding fathers of the United States. […] Source Wikipedia.
Benjamin Franklin was therefore a multifaceted genius and, as emerges from his autobiography, he devoted many years of his life to the search for "moral perfection". In 1726, during a voyage by ship from London to Philadelphia, he conceived a system of 13 virtues to perfect one's moral conduct. The system was based on a precise pattern, which Franklin followed for many years, until the natural assimilation of the 13 virtues.
Each year Franklin undertook to follow every single virtue with discipline for a week, recording each transgression on a special chart. After the first 13-week cycle, Franklin repeated his virtuous path, for a total of 4 times during the year.
Although almost three centuries have passed, Franklin's 13 virtues remain a source of inspiration and I thought I'd share them with you as a stimulus to start the new year in the best possible way. there the 13 virtues of Benjamin Franklin:
- Temperance. "Don't eat your fill and don't drink until you're euphoric." Healthy eating is one of my new year's focuses. For the moment I don't think I'm making drastic choices like a vegetarian or vegan diet, but I still want to have greater awareness of the quality and quantity of what I eat. What do you think about it?
- Silence. “Do not speak except to benefit yourself or others. Avoid futile speeches ”. I bet Alexander likes this virtue. Practicing silence is not only an interesting technique to develop one's willpower, but in general it can represent a simple meditation practice and above all a good idea to start reflecting instead of continuing to fill the void with the sound of our words. .
- Order. "Your everything has its place, dedicate the right time to each of your activities". Often the order of the environments in which we live is synonymous with our mental order.
- Determination. “Decide to do what you have to do. Execute what you have decided without hesitation ". What would your life be like if you completed everything you decide to start?
- Parsimony. "Do not spend except to do yourself or others good, that is, do not waste anything". Learning to save is essential to lay the foundations for your financial peace of mind.
- Industriousness. "Do not waste time. Always be committed to something useful. Avoid any superfluous action ". Your industriousness or personal productivity is the tool through which you will be able to achieve your goals effectively.
- Sincerity. “Don't resort to subterfuges that can cause harm. Your thoughts are innocent and just and remain so when you decide to express them ”. Sincerity is an investment that pays high interest over the long term. In a country where cunning is praised, being honest is a great virtue.
- Justice. "Do not offend anyone, doing them wrong or neglecting the duty to do them good".
- Moderation. “Avoid extremes. Refrain from resenting the wrongs as you think they deserve ”.
- Cleaning. "Do not tolerate any dirt in the body, in clothes or in the house". Like order, cleanliness is a virtue to be leveraged to initiate important changes in one's life.
- Tranquility. "Do not be agitated by trifles or by common and inevitable accidents." Focusing only on what we are in control of can be a lesson as difficult to learn as it is rewarding.
- Chastity. "Di Venere rarely uses, only to maintain health or procreate, never to the point of satiating, weakening you or jeopardizing your or others' peace or reputation". Oh well ... some of Ben's virtues can also be waived! ;-)
- Humility. “Imitate Jesus and Socrates”. I would add “… and you can't go wrong!”.
Did you like Ben's 13 virtues? Well, if you want to learn more about Benjamin Franklin's philosophy of life, I'm sure you will be interested in this book of his: The art of virtue.
If you find Franklin's virtues a little dated, how about sharing yours good resolutions for the new year in the comments? Thanks.
