Was Franklin's System of Virtues Successful?

 Franklin, by implementing his system of virtues to his own life, was successful in becoming a better person.  Each of the virtues that he chose is one which could apply well to anyone who is in search of becoming a model citizen.  The scientific way which he chose to follow and track his following of the virtues showed his determination at improving his character.

In Franklin’s Autobiography, he writes, “”I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet I was by the endeavor, a better and happier man. . .” (Franklin 89)  His original goal was to “arrive at moral perfection . . . to live without committing any fault at any time” (Franklin 83) This was a very hard task that he set out to accomplish.  In fact, moral perfection is so difficult to achieve that it is pretty much impossible.  Even with the strong determination that Benjamin Franklin exhibited, perfection is out of reach.  He did, however, benefit from system of virtues.  While not able to be perfect, Franklin did become a more model citizen of society, and as a result he lived a happier life.  In all likelihood, Franklin probably had lived a less than satisfying moral lifestyle earlier in his life and decided that he was tired of living that way and wanted to change, to be the one that people would look up to, and also to live his life in accordance to Divine Providence (Tuckerman 4). 

The system by which Franklin tries to achieve his moral goal is admirable, as pointed out by Tuckerman (Tuckerman 3).  He decided that “daily examination would be necessary” (Franklin 85).  At any point throughout the day that he caught himself going against any of his virtues, he would record that mishap in his journal (Franklin 85).  By doing this, he could easily track his progress at improving his morals.  It would seem, however, that while it was a workable and probably the best option by which Franklin was given, the results would naturally be somewhat inaccurate since what is following a selected virtue may be against other peoples’ view of the same virtue.  Also, he could have forgotten to record each mistake as it occurred during the day.  On the other hand, this process was not done by every person in society, only Franklin, and thus the results would affect Franklin- how much his character improved and if he was happy with living by them. 

Tuckerman notes that “The silent dignity . . . is one of the most admirable traits of Franklin’s character” (Tuckerman 6) This seems to be true.  According to Franklin, if something did not need to be said or if it had negative effects, then it is better to not say it at all (Franklin 83).  Benjamin Franklin seemed by all accounts to have been a man who felt a resilient desire to do what was right and attempt to maintain peace.  “My rule is, to go straight forward in doing what appears to me right at the time, leaving the consequences to Providence.  I wish every kind of prosperity to my friends, and forgive my enemies.” (Tuckerman 6)  If this statement does not show a true achievement of moral character by constantly trying to do what is right, wishing prosperity to his friends, and forgiveness to his enemies, then it would be hard to find one that would. 

As a result of creating his system of virtues, Franklin may not have achieved perfection, but he did significantly improve his character and happiness as a result of living by a higher standard.  This is what was truly important.  By living his life in accordance to a set of virtues, Franklin could become the person that he deep-down wanted to be but was otherwise unable to become.  Overall, his system seems to have been successful because Franklin did experience a change in character and as a result was able to live a happier life. 

Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Paris: William Temple Franklin, 1791. Print.

Tuckerman, Henry T. "The Character of Franklin." Facts on File. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.

The American Dream

Different people, naturally, have diverse plans for the future.  Some people have a goal to achieve as much money and power as is attainable for them while others are simply content with being able to support their families.  There are also those who do not really have a goal for their life except to go “wherever the wind takes them”.  While individuals may have different plans, a common one is referred to as “the American Dream”.  I think that the American Dream can best be described in the song by Casting Crowns properly titled “American Dream”.  In the music video, a lawyer is so busy with his work all of the time that he neglects his own personal relationships, leading to unfortunate results (Hall).  For instance, when his son had a baseball game or later was celebrating his birthday, he never showed up because he became so caught up with his work that he forgot all about events he was expected to attend (Hall). Unknowingly, his job became the most important thing in his life (Hall).  After not being there for his family time after time, their relationship fell apart and resulted in a divorce (Hall).  Back to the main topic, the reason why the father and husband was working so hard was because he “wanted to give his family the finer things” (Hall).  The family in the video had a nice house, car, clothes, and other material possessions (Hall).  This is a large part of what the American Dream is.  People want to make as much money as possible and rise to higher positions in the work force.  Those who find themselves caught up with the American Dream often find themselves seeking the more impressive material items.  Another component is that it is widely believed in today’s society that a person is capable of ascending to a higher position in life if that person utilizes his or her capabilities and determination.  In short, the American Dream is to ascend to a higher social and economic level at which that person would be able to live comfortably.  It is recognized that this can be accomplished by any person regardless of his or her initial social class. 

By the way, if anyone is interested in watching the music video for the song “American Dream”, which I mentioned in this blog, here is the link to the page:  http://youtu.be/DumlIIHSrsQ . 

Hall, Mark. "American Dream." Casting Crowns. Casting Crowns. Mark A. Miller, 2004. YouTube. 25 Oct. 2009. Web. 24 Oct. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DumlIIHSrsQ>.

Benjamin Franklin's System of Virtues

Benjamin Franklin received education as a Presbyterian (Franklin 81).  In accordance to his religious faith he believed in the “existence of the Deity; that he made the world, and governed it by his Providence” (Franklin 81).  Furthermore, he understood that the soul is immortal, that all crimes will be punished and virtue rewarded either in this life or the next (Franklin 81).  As a man of religious tolerance, Franklin held a level or respect for every religion, although some more than others (Franklin 81).  In order to maintain and strengthen his character, he created a system of virtues (Franklin 83).  This system of virtues and his dedication to them exemplifies his manner of thought as being that of a Rationalist. 

            During the Rationalist period, people began to focus less on religion and more on reasoning and advances.  The method of attaining virtues which Franklin created was not completely without religious influence, but it was however indistinguishable of any particular sect in which he added his own interpretations (Franklin 91).  The reasoning behind his virtues is that he was trying to gain knowledge and at the same time improve his intrinsic worth (Franklin 84).   By carrying through with his system of virtues, Franklin expected to arrive “at moral perfection . . . wished to live without committing any fault at any time” (Franklin 82).  To achieve his goal, he kept a book with the days of the week and thirteen virtues he deemed important to living a moral life, placing a black dot in the appropriate place for each time he would break one of the day’s virtues (Franklin 86).  These virtues include:  temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility (Franklin 84-85).  By trying to achieve perfection in his character through a well-thought-out system, Franklin is depicting rationalism.  A person who based his or her life on faith and had a good understanding of Scripture would have known that perfection as sinners is impossible.  A person should strive to be the best that he or she can be, but never in the process should perfection be expected.  As it is written in Romans 3:12, "There is no one righteous, not even one. . .” 

            Franklin even states in the excerpt from his journal that he “seldom attended any public worship” (Franklin 82).  He emphasized a time when he attended church for five consecutive Sundays (Franklin 82).  This in the time of the Enlightenment would have been only customary.  Once he made the decision to discontinue attending a preacher’s service because the sermon did not contain “the kind of good things that I expected from that text” (Franklin 82).  He even formed his own liturgy for private use (Franklin 82).  It seems as if Franklin would have a preference to view matters the way he wished to see them and if the world’s perception did not match his own then he would break away to practice his own understandings.  Justification for the amount of virtues he would concentrate on each day came from his reasoning that a gardener does not attempt to eradicate all of the bad herbs at once, but works on one bed at at a time (Franklin 87). 

            Finally, in his journal, Franklin asks in the morning, “What good shall I do this day?” (Franklin 88) and in the evening he asks himself, “What good have I done today?” (Franklin 88).  In asking these questions, he is concentrating on the level of righteousness in himself which seems rather egotistical.  A person should not decide for himself/herself what he/she shall do each day, but rather be enlightened to do so by the Holy Spirit.  Asking “What good shall I do” is putting the morality on man when the credit belongs to God since everything good comes from Him. 

            Franklin may have been raised with Christian beliefs, but his way of thinking is a better representative of the Rationalism era rather than the Enlightenment.  Unlike what was accepted during the Enlightenment, Franklin did not place a high importance on attending church and he left when he thought the sermon was not expanded enough.  Through the use of his own reasoning, he created a system by which he hoped to achieve moral perfection (Franklin 83).  All of these depict the qualities that a rationalist might possess. 

Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Paris: William Temple Franklin, 1791. Print.

"Romans 3:10 As It Is Written: "There Is No One Righteous, Not Even One;." Romans 3:10 As It Is Written: "There Is No One Righteous, Not Even One;. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2012. <http://bible.cc/romans/3-10.htm>.

Virtues

Different people have different values by which they choose to live their lives.  It is good to have a system of values decided so that you know how you want to live your life.  One virtue that I strongly connect with is going to church and helping others.  Even if a person has faith, it is good to attend services to strengthen his or her faith.  Listening before one speaks is also a good trait.  As Abraham Lincoln said, “Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.” (Quotations by Author)  It is wise to think before saying something and to assure that the subject is fully understood and that no one will be unintentionally offended by the remark.  Furthermore, compassion, kindness, and forgiveness are all virtuous qualities to possess. When a person is wronged by another, it is easy to feel angry or saddened by what that person had done.  However, it is most beneficial to the other person as well as the individual to let the situation go and to release it to God’s control.  In this way, the person harmed may receive healing and the harmer may come to see their wrong deeds and repent.  Order is another important aspect of daily life.  Work comes before play.  If commitments have been arranged then it is the responsibility of the person to follow through with those obligations.  Putting inclinations before duties creates chaos and does not contribute to a healthy lifestyle.  In addition, the concept of industry can be exceedingly advantageous in the lives of ordinary people.  Students, for example, could make use of the time on the bus, before class starts, or while eating lunch to study and review for their classes.  This would optimize the student’s daily schedule and open up more time later in the day.  Finally, sincerity is a crucial trait to have.  Always being honest to others and to oneself is a building block to developing friendships with a foundation of trust. 

"Quotations by Author." Abraham Lincoln Quotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2012. 

<http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Abraham_Lincoln>.