Faith Venture

The realization hit me squarely in the face. Recent reading seems to return to the theme of virtue. Christian reading. Reading from the Stoics. General reading.

Virtue.

I’d like to believe I lead a life of virtue. Don’t you? Wouldn’t it hurt if someone told us, “What you just did was not virtuous.”

Me, being me, wondered, what does it mean to be virtuous?

One of my bosses told me many years ago that everyone knew who the good teachers in the school were even though you couldn’t quantify it. He was an engineer. That’s an amazing statement from a numbers-driven person.

Perhaps virtue is similar. We all know a virtuous person even if we can’t really define it.

But, that doesn’t help us. When we leave our beds in the morning (or whenever you happen to rise), how are we going to behave starting then in a way that could be described as virtuous?

I’m not a fan of lists. Especially lists of rules we need to follow. Sometimes, though, a list can spur our thinking. Beginning a list of 20 thoughts about a topic can lead to a breakthrough idea. I offer this list from Benjamin Franklin, yes that guy whose face adorns the 100-dollar bill. He was a fan of checklists and introspection. He had a checklist of these virtues that he would use to measure his day every evening.

This list comes courtesy of Wikipedia.

• Temperance: Eat not to Dullness. Drink not to Elevation.
• Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling Conversation.
• Order: Let all your Things have their Places. Let each Part of your Business have its Time.
• Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve.
• Frugality: Make no Expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e. Waste nothing.
• Industry: Lose no Time. Be always employed in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary Actions.
• Sincerity: Use no hurtful Deceit. Think innocently and justly; and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
• Justice: Wrong none, by doing Injuries or omitting the Benefits that are your Duty.
• Moderation: Avoid Extremes. Forbear resenting Injuries so much as you think they deserve.
• Cleanliness: Tolerate no Uncleanness in Body, Clothes or Habitation.
• Tranquility: Be not disturbed at Trifles, or at Accidents common or unavoidable.
• 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.
• Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

This entry was posted on September 8, 2023 at 10:17 am and is filed under Intention, Living, Wisdom. 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.