Miscellaneous. Miscellaneous Love of order
Franklin's 13 Virtues Benjamin Franklin always thought about what kind of person he wanted to become. Eventually, he was able to formulate a clear goal: he wanted to become “moral perfection.” This idea came to Benjamin at the age of 20. In order to achieve his goal, he created a list of 13 virtues. 1. Abstinence. Eat not to the point of satiety, drink not to the point of intoxication. 2. Silence. Speak only what can benefit you or others; avoid empty talk. 3. Love of order. Let each of your things have its own place; Let there be time for every task you do. 4. Determination. Decide to do what you must; and carry out what you decide unswervingly. 5. Thrift. Allow yourself only those expenses that will benefit others or yourself; don't waste anything. 6. Hard work. Don't waste time; always be busy with something useful; cancel all unnecessary activities. 7. Sincerity. Do not resort to harmful deception: let your thoughts be innocent and fair; and if you speak, then let the words be the same. 8. Justice. Never offend people by causing them harm or not doing good, as your duty dictates. 9. Moderation. Avoid extremes; Don’t hold a grudge for the harm done to you, even if you think it deserves it. 10. Cleanliness. Do not allow the slightest dirt on yourself, in your clothes, or in your home. 11. Calmness. Don't worry about trifles, about minor or inevitable incidents. 12. Chastity. Indulge in lust rarely, only for health or to prolong the family line; do not allow it to lead to dullness or weakness, or to deprive you of peace of mind or cast a shadow on your or anyone else’s good name. 13. Meekness. Follow the example of Jesus and Socrates. Impressive list of virtues, isn't it? But Franklin didn't stop there. He developed a system that helped him make these virtues part of his Everyday life. It was based on a 13-week plan that helped him stay focused on what was important right now. Since Franklin's main goal was to make these virtues habitual, he decided to devote one week to each of them. And only after this time has passed, move on to the next virtue. The daily struggle is to stay focused on what really matters. To stay focused, Benjamin Franklin kept a notebook of 13 pages, one for each virtue. He lined each page so that there were seven columns (seven days of the week). He then drew 13 horizontal lines (13 virtues). Franklin knew that he could not master all 13 virtues at once. As mentioned above, he decided to devote one week to each of them. Franklin believed that if he focused on one virtue, it would quickly become a habit. After that, he planned to move on to another virtue, the next week to the next, and so on until he had mastered them all. During the first week, Franklin's main focus was on one virtue; other virtues were left to chance; he only marked every evening with a black circle the mistakes made during the day. “There are three things that are extremely difficult to do: break steel, crush diamond and know yourself.” Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin, an American politician, scientist, diplomat, and inventor, was a very purposeful person and always strived for moral and spiritual improvement.
He identified 13 cardinal virtues and worked to develop them every day. At the end of the day, he kept track of which virtues he had managed to use that day and which ones he had not.
If there was a mistake in some virtue, he put a cross in front of it. If the violation was particularly severe, he marked it with two crosses. And in order to develop his character more effectively, for each of the virtues he set aside a week, during which he paid especially close attention to it.
Here is a list of 13 virtues from Benjamin Franklin:
1. Abstinence. Do not eat to the point of satiety, do not drink to the point of intoxication.
2. Silence. Say only what can benefit me or another; avoid empty talk.
3. Order. Keep all things in their place; Have your own time for each activity.
4. Determination. Decide to do what needs to be done; strictly implement the decisions made.
5. Thrift. Spending money only on things that benefit me or others, that is, not wasting anything.
6. Hard work. Don't waste time; be constantly involved in something useful; get rid of all unnecessary actions.
7. Sincerity. Do not cause harm by deception, have pure and fair thoughts; also adhere to this rule in conversation.
8. Justice. Do not harm anyone; do not commit injustice and do not miss the good deeds that are among your duties.
9. Moderation. Avoid extremes; restrain, as far as you consider it appropriate, feelings of resentment from injustice.
10.Cleanliness. Avoid bodily uncleanliness; Maintain neatness in clothing and home.
11. Calmness. Don't worry about trifles or ordinary or unavoidable events.
12. Chastity. Rarely engage in sexual relations and only for the sake of health or leaving offspring; never to the point of stupidity, weakening or disturbing one's own or another's peace or reputation.
13. Modesty. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.
Only such a strong man as Benjamin Franklin was capable of working on himself and his character with such great enthusiasm. His desire for self-improvement can be an excellent example for anyone interested in personal growth and self-development. After all, only by developing your personality, becoming stronger and wiser, can you achieve a lot in life. What virtues and moral values are important to you?
Franklin concluded that of all the virtues, thirteen were the most important, which he ranked in order of importance:
1. Abstinence. Do not eat to the point of satiety, do not drink to the point of intoxication.
2. Silence. Say only what can benefit me or another; avoid empty talk.
3. Order. Keep all your belongings in place; Each lesson has its own time.
4. Determination. Decide to do what needs to be done; strictly carry out what is decided.
5. Thrift. Spending money only on things that benefit me or others, that is, not wasting anything.
6. Hard work. Don't waste time; to be always busy with something useful, to refuse all unnecessary actions.
7. Sincerity. Do not cause harmful deception, have pure and fair thoughts; also adhere to this rule in conversation.
8. Justice. Do not harm anyone, do not commit injustice and do not omit the good deeds that are among your duties.
9. Moderation. Avoid extremes; restrain, as far as you consider it appropriate, feelings of resentment from injustice.
10. Cleanliness. Avoid bodily uncleanliness; Maintain neatness in clothing and home.
11. Calmness. Don't worry about trifles or ordinary or unavoidable events.
12. Chastity. Copulate infrequently, only for the sake of health or procreation, never do it to the point of dullness, exhaustion, or to the detriment of your own or someone else’s reputation.
13. Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates."
Socrates and Pythagoras were Franklin's favorite philosophers. For a long time he was a staunch admirer of the Socratic method of polemics. Following the advice of Pythagoras, who in his poems convincingly argued for the need for daily self-control, Franklin developed his own method of monitoring the implementation of these thirteen virtues.
He kept a special book, where every day, according to a very carefully thought-out system, he noted cases of violation of certain virtues. And, to his great surprise, the author new system achieving moral perfection, he became convinced that he was far from perfect, that cases of violation of his virtues occurred much more often than he could have expected.
Franklin made a truly heroic effort to follow his system, but with characteristic truthfulness he stated that his success along this path was rather modest.
The biggest difficulty for him was maintaining a daily routine. Franklin wrote that he had great difficulty in maintaining order in terms of places for things, papers, etc. And there was no great need for this, since, having an exceptionally good memory, he always remembered where everything was. Being a great realist and not really believing in the infallibility and universality of his scheme for achieving moral perfection, Franklin came to the conclusion that a precise daily routine was a completely unrealistic requirement for workers in a number of professions.
He got up at five o'clock in the morning, washed, prayed, made a work plan for the day and started studying. Franklin had breakfast at about eight o'clock, and worked from eight to twelve. From twelve to two - reading, checking accounts, lunch. From two to six again work time. From six to ten he played music, participated in conversations or had fun in some other way, had dinner - summed up the results of the day, and again from ten in the evening to five in the morning - sleep.
Ivanov R.F. / Franklin. - M.: Young Guard, 1972. - 256 p.: ill. - (Life of remarkable people: Ser. biogr.; Issue 518) - p. 65-66
Stagnation, that is, a state when it seems that nothing is happening, is the biggest illusion. She doesn't exist. Time always passes, and a person either steps up or degrades. Therefore, if you are striving for better life, then just remember the words of the legendary thinker Aristotle: “We are what we constantly do. Perfection, therefore, is not an action, but a habit.” Of course, manage own life, and not “rush along the waves” - not an easy task, but quite realistic. Perhaps Benjamin Franklin's 13 principles for achieving moral excellence, which TengriMIX shares below, will help you with this.
Benjamin Franklin is one of the few politicians whose name is constantly heard because he was a polymath - one whose intellectual abilities, interests and activities were not limited to one area of knowledge. He acted as a scientist, journalist, inventor, diplomat, philosopher, writer, publisher, and leader in the struggle for American independence. Reading his biography, you never cease to be amazed at how he managed to achieve so much. Perhaps it’s all about the right attitude towards oneself: Franklin, first of all, wanted to be a Man. Here's what he wrote in his autobiography:
“I wanted to live without committing sins and misdeeds; I decided to overcome everything that either an innate inclination, or habit, or other people’s examples pushed me to do. For this, I developed a certain methodology. In thirteen headings I included everything that seemed to me at that time necessary and desirable, adding in each case a short instruction, from which it became clear how I understood this or that virtue.”
Actually, here they are, those same “headings”:
1. Abstinence.
Don't eat to the point of stupor, don't drink to the point of intoxication.
2. Silence.
Speak only what can benefit others or yourself.
3. Love of order.
Let each of your things have its own place; Let there be a time for every thing you do.
4. Determination.
Decide to do what you must; and carry out what you decide unswervingly.
5. Thrift.
Allow yourself only those expenses that will benefit others or yourself; don't waste anything.
6. Hard work.
Don't waste time; always be busy with something useful; cancel all unnecessary activities.
7. Sincerity.
Do not resort to harmful deception: let your thoughts be innocent and fair; and if you speak, then let the words be the same.
8. Justice.
Never offend people by causing them harm or not doing good, as your duty dictates.
9. Moderation.
Avoid extremes; do not hold grudges for harm done to you, even if you think it deserves it.
10. Cleanliness.
Do not allow the slightest dirt on yourself, in your clothes, or in your home.
11. Calmness.
Don't worry about trifles, about minor or inevitable incidents.
12. Chastity.
Indulge in lust rarely, only for health or to prolong the family line; do not allow it to lead to dullness or weakness, or to deprive you of peace of mind or cast a shadow on good your name or anyone else's.
13. Meekness.
Follow the example of Jesus and Socrates.
Benjamin Franklin worked every day to develop these virtues. At the end of the day, he kept track of which ones he managed to use today and which ones he didn't. If there was a miss on one of the points, he marked the box with that virtue with a cross on that day of the week. If the violation was very severe, he gave two crosses. To make the development of one's character most effective, each of the virtues received its own week, during which special attention was paid to it.
Prepared by: Nurlyaiym Nursain
Benjamin Franklin remained in history as a multi-talented man: he was a statesman and politician, diplomat, scientist, inventor, writer, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America and the authors of the Declaration of Independence of 1776.
Benjamin Franklin was born into the family of a poor artisan; his working career began at the age of 10 - at this age he was already working in his father’s candle workshop. What helped the son of a craftsman make his way from an apprentice to the head of a huge power? Definitely talent. Of course, performance. Definitely a sense of purpose. But not only that.
Even in his youth, Benjamin Franklin developed a surprisingly practical system of self-improvement. He identified for himself thirteen virtues, which he improved in until the end of his days and regardless of the positions he held at one time or another in his life. Benjamin Franklin devoted every week to cultivating one virtue in himself, scrupulously recording all the deviations that he made from time to time. As a result of continuous practice, the thirteen virtues became his permanent habits and an indispensable tool for achieving health, wealth, wisdom and good reputation. Franklin believed—and proved it by example—that rigorous adherence to a personal system of self-improvement could help one achieve life's highest goals.
Perhaps your goals are different from Benjamin Franklin's. It is likely that you would not want your portrait to adorn a hundred-dollar American bill or the banknote of another country. But following Benjamin Franklin's proven system of self-improvement, you will certainly achieve heights in the area in which you intend to realize yourself.
Don’t put it off until tomorrow, don’t promise yourself to “start on Monday.” Join the Self Improvement Program today! And the result will definitely be your success in life and your self-realization.
Virtues
- Temperance - Do not eat to the point of satiety, do not drink to the point of intoxication.
- Silence - Speak only what can benefit you or others; avoid empty chatter.
- Order - Find each thing its place, each task its time.
- Decisiveness - Decide to do what you must; Whatever you decide, carry it out unswervingly.
- Thrift - Avoid spending if it is of no use to you or others; don't be wasteful.
- Hard work - Don't waste time; do something useful; discard everything unnecessary.
- Sincerity - Do not hurt anyone by deception; your thoughts must be pure and fair, just like your words.
- Justice - Do not offend anyone by insulting or failing to repay justice as duty dictates.
- Moderation - Avoid extremes; hold back your righteous indignation.
- Cleanliness - Keep your body, clothes and home clean.
- Calmness - Don't worry about trifles or things that are ordinary and inevitable.
- Chastity - Enter into marital relations rarely, only for health or to prolong the family, and never to the point of fatigue, weakness or damage to your own or someone else's reputation.
- Modesty - Imitate Jesus and Socrates.
Opinion
Fracklin glorified healthy ambition. The main purpose of life, he implied, is to improve oneself and thus improve one's position in life. Fracklin sang a characteristically bourgeois set of virtues: temperance, silence, order, determination, frugality, hard work, sincerity, justice, moderation, purity, calm, chastity and modesty. These are not heroic virtues. They do not capture the imagination or awaken passion, such as, for example, the aristocratic love of honor. These are not spiritual virtues either. But they are practical and democratic. Anyone with the right ethical principles can accept them. “How little originality there is in happiness, virtue and greatness,” noted Fracklin.
David Brooks / "Beans in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Did It"
Benjamin Franklin / Autobiography. Benjamin Franklin wrote this book, which changed the lives of millions of people, in the form of a message to his son. The sixth chapter of the book describes Franklin's 13 chosen virtues and the method of self-control he invented to achieve moral excellence. Mirabeau. Metternich. Franklin. Washington. Lincoln. Biographical narratives This book contains biographies of five great people who were able to transform both their inner and the world. The biographies are written in the genre of poetic chronicle and historical and cultural research. R. Ivanov / Franklin Robert Ivanov’s book from the “Lives of Remarkable People” series is dedicated to Benjamin Franklin. Childhood, adolescence and adulthood statesman