Now I’m back at the very top.  I started by thinking about emotions, then backed up to self-medications, then backed up to routines and habits and good behavior, then backed up to responsibilities and roles, and now I’m at the top thinking of Benjamin Franklin’s 13 virtues that he tracked and thought about from age 20 til at least 79 when he wrote about them.

1. Temperance: Eat not to dullness and drink not to elevation.
2. Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling conversation.
3. Order: Let all your things have their places. Let each part of your business have its time.
4. Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve.
5. Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself: i.e. Waste nothing.
6. Industry: Lose no time. Be always employed in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary actions.
7. Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit. Think innocently and justly; and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
8. Justice: Wrong none, by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
9. Moderation: Avoid extremes. Forebear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanness in body, clothes or habitation.
11. Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring; Never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.
12. Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
13. Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

While these virtues are “good”, they don’t really resonate with me very much.  They’re too bound in moderation and a mild temperament.

I’ve been working on my own list of “virtues” or general beliefs of self-conduct for a few years now.  I’ve tried expanding on them a few times, but always return to the simple sentences and limited number in the end.

Here’s what I have:

1. Make your own meaning.
2. Make your own advice, then take it.
3. Have good intentions.
4. Be your word.
5. Do not dilly-dally.
6. Do not feel sorry for yourself.
7. Take time to make a vision worth striving for.
8. Rally others with your vision.
9. Tie creativity and experimentation with survival.
10. Be the change you wish to see in the world.
11. Stake your reputation on your better self.
12. Take responsibility for the consequences of being who you are.
13. Manage your stress, health, and clarity of mind.
14. Enjoy things.
15. Share.
16. Study your mistakes.
17. Retry things you don’t like or are afraid of every once in a while.

Slightly different category of things than BF’s, and I don’t really see how I could create a journal that required me to make note of when I failed to follow these virtues.  So maybe I have some more work to do to simplify them, or rephrase them to be a bit more actionable.  I don’t know.

This entry was posted by Buster on Friday, August 7th, 2009 at 11:58 pm. It is filed under Defining enjoyment, Standards. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.