D-Day

My father was born in 1933 just after the giddy height of the 1920′s had worn off and the Great Depression had gripped the United States. By the time of my Dad’s birth, the world economy was in turmoil and 1300 banks in the U.S. had closed. An additional four and one half million people lost their jobs, in a population of 125 million and now more than 30 million Americans had no income. Herbert Hoover had seemed unable to act, and Congress passed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, exacerbating an already established global recession. In 1932 F.D.R. arrived with massive bailout plans designed to shore up the economy, and the effect of some of these plans are felt yet today. Overseas, three men were planning to change the face of the political landscape, Hitler in Germany, Stalin in Russia, and Mao Zedong in China.

In the later 1930′s, Chamberlain returned from a summit with Hitler and proclaimed, “..we have peace in our time, peace with honor”; it was neither. As country after country fell in front of the Nazi war machine, America watched and readied herself, sending aid to a Britain struggling against the German aggressor. When my father was eight years of age, the Japanese hit us at Pearl Harbor, dragging a now awakened bear from its den. America was at war.

By 1944, 12 million Americans were in uniform and 19 million more people were back at work, 35 percent of them were women. This nation was immersed in the war, from the front to the back, and they won. This generation knew the intense humility and privation that the Great Depression brought, they lived through the hard work of rebuilding this nation, they saw so many of their friends, so many aspiring scientists, musicians, mathematicians, farmers, that didn’t make it past their very early twenties, who gave their all to this country. Millions of men and women were involved in this fight through poverty and riches, adversity and achievement, and from defeat to triumph. This generation of men and women kept our way of life alive for their children through personal sacrifice. Thank you Mom and Dad, thank you Grandma and Grandpa, and I would like to apologize to you for not learning what I should have so that I could be this strong in my generation. (As an aside, I’d like to apologize to my kids as well, because we are doing the opposite of what our parents did; we are tearing this country down to feed our gluttony and leaving you scraps to rebuild with).

Here’s my question: Where are these men and women today? We are faced with what could be the beginnings of a depression, there are many questions where international violence is concerned, and many domestic programs are in jeopardy. I fear that our parents fought for this country and we inherited it, said, “thank you very much”, and went and sat on the couch.. and stayed there. We took their long-suffering and turned it into a need for immediate gratification, accepted their endurance and twisted it into expectation, and received the benefit of their toil and eroded it until we became apathetic.

I’d like to suggest that there is a Biblical parallel – several actually – to this tale of American success and failure. Let me first state that I will spend little time on the first – and most obvious – parallel which is the story of the Israelites in Judges. Their cycle of faith, backsliding, apostasy, supplication, deliverance, faith.. and so on was due to the fact that they took their eyes off the Lord. While I think this parallel is definitely appropriate here, I don’t want to make it the central issue because if I do, Christian men and women will blame others, and men and women of other faiths will set my suggestions aside as “Christian” and therefore irrelevant. I want all of us to go take a long look in the mirror.

⁵ Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. ⁶ You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” - Haggai 1:5,6

Those who know the backstory for the book of Haggai understand that this warning is much like the first point I promised to spend little time on, but these verses alone are prophetic for us today. Don’t the people Haggai is referring to here sound a lot like modern-day Americans? I’d like to suggest that a major part of our failure to be ‘as great’ as our parents generation is because we are focused so much on ourselves that we have no time to believe that we are part of something greater than ourselves. We want things and time, and we want them for ‘us and ours’ and not for others. This selfishness is one reason there has been a huge backlash in this country against people who desire wealth, and in an unhealthy way. We aren’t holding up people who give to others and keep country traditions alive, instead we reward those who decide not to work with the money we’ve stolen from those who do labor. We reward selfishness and punish labor, and we wonder why we have a country chock full of people unmotivated to work!?

Third, in Judges we see that the beginning of the cycle of backsliding begins with an association with evil, with the people around the Israelites, with intermarriage and taking on their customs. It is difficult to live next to a thing and remain insulated from it; it is impossible to remain unaffected if you marry into it. We are called to be, “..in the world, but not of the world”, and we are called to witness to all nations, and we are to remain set apart. Christians often take these commands too far; on one end of the spectrum we have Christians that pray that ‘unbelievers’ won’t move into the vacant house next door and try to keep their family from associating with the ‘unsaved’; on the other end, we have people prone to certain weaknesses going right back into their old lives to ‘witness’ to others they once knew. It is clear that we must come into contact with ‘the world’ to witness, Christ did this and did it regularly, but if He needed rest and regeneration with like-minded people, who are we to think we don’t? This is where a local church becomes so critical. We are to bear one another’s burdens and to build each other up in the faith.. so that we can do the Lord’s work.

So, why is this generation ill-prepared to take on the challenges that faced our parents and grandparents? Because God is no longer the center of our lives, because we are almost wholly selfish, and because we are so caught up with what others are doing that we have failed to chart a course for ourselves (let alone follow it).

What can we do? I suggest that we turn back to the Word. If you are not a Christian today, first, I thank you for reading this far, and second, I urge you to crack open a Bible and read the book of John. It is about 3/4 of the way through the Bible, in the New Testament. Just read the book over the next few days or weeks and see what you think. Email me at windowormirror@gmail.com to chat. For those who believe, I suggest taking inventory. Find out where your focus is. Is it on the eternal? Do you have a heart for Kingdom building here on earth? Let us all become less selfish and carry out the work of the Lord here on earth. With a renewed focus, God can use us in great ways.. we have at our disposal – for His purposes – the power that raised Christ from the dead!

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1. The acquisition of knowledge or skill

Those who educate children well are to be more honored than parents, for these only gave life, those the art of living well. - Aristotle

To think of learning as a preparation for something beyond learning is a defeat of the process. The most important attitude that can be formed is that of desire to go on learning. - Daniel Bell

Learning makes a man fit company for himself. - Young

It seems obvious to me that learning must be life-long but it isn’t obvious to everyone. Life doesn’t get easier over time, but individual issues can become simplified if you learn. Learning from life provides deep and organic learning. The “ditches in our mind” seem to be cut most deeply by the rushing headwaters of heartbreak and great pain. When learning is painful, it sticks with us for a lifetime. The key of course is to consider it learning, looking past the pain to gain insight.

My idea of what continuous learning is:

Learn from every life experience. Pain and negative outcomes provide the deepest learning.
Look carefully each evening at the day. Identify what you saw, heard, felt, and did – and what the effects of those things were. Think specifically about the cause to effect flows of events; can you recognize most causes and effects? Then, review the personal interactions you had today. Concentrate on the people that were ‘too young’, ‘too lowly’, or ‘too removed’ to really be of any benefit to you. Learn something from each of them. Children are the best for this as you’ll develop a childish curiosity again. You may even get some humility and respect for others while you’re at it!

Never leave yourself without structured study. You’ll be better company for yourself.
It is important to gain wisdom, which can be well accomplished by listening, watching, and participating in life. It is also critical to pursue education of interest in a stepwise manner. Human brains are tuned to certain situations and thought patterns. In order to broaden our minds it is important to cut new channels and paths for our thoughts. Structured learning provides a base for study, as well as great main path to stray from while we stride to our goals. Also, reaching milestones is a great motivator. Studying with a plan allows for this visible progress. One suggestion; take notes, document everything you study – and record your thoughts and ideas. This will be a great gift to others interested in the same subject (like this paper may be to you!).

At every opportunity – teach. You’ll learn more deeply, and often, plant a seed in another.
Pain does provide deep learning, but nothing purifies your educational learning like the searing kiln of inquisitive students! With repeated explanation and incrementally improved answers, as well as exposure to multiple views on the same subject, the depth of your knowledge will increase. You give the gift of education to your pupils, they give the gift of improved educational thought back to you.

1. The quality of possessing and steadfastly adhering to high moral principles or professional standards
2. The state of being complete or undivided

It is necessary to the happiness of man that he be mentally faithful to himself. Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving, it consists in professing to believe what one does not believe. - Thomas Paine

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. - Martin Luther King, Jr

I learned that falsifying this one fact about my life made me feel phony, ridiculous, complicit, and, worst of all, undermined by my own hand. - Gloria Steinem

These quotes are all correct, and insightful, but the balance of my opinions I have shamelessly purloined from Dr. Stephen L. Carter, author of the book Integrity. If you do not own a copy of this book, buy it, read it, and read it every year until you shuffle off this mortal coil – I cannot recommend it enough.

My thoughts on integrity are:

Discern always between right and wrong (moral reflection)
Most of us fall down on this step – do you know what you value? What you believe? The fact that you’re reading this means that you do, or desire to. Discernment takes time and emotional energy. It is hard work, and most people won’t do it. Before we do what we believe is good, and shun what we know is bad, we have to decide what those things are. It is important to note that 100% honesty and full disclosure is not integrity. What is right changes based on the situation and environment; see why this is hard work?

Act on what is right – even at personal cost (as an absolute)
Discerning between right and wrong is difficult, but even this hard won success is rendered impotent by the individual that will not act on his conviction. People have an amazing capacity to say one thing and to do another. The life with integrity must include action to implement the right or to discourage the wrong. That is, we must be activists on behalf of our strongly held beliefs.

Express openly that you are acting based on the right as you have discerned it.
Saying openly that you acting on what you believe to be the right will likely make you unpopular. Not only does our society reward those who conform, guilty people don’t like to be reminded that they are not acting with integrity. Beyond standing and loudly proclaiming the right, sometimes integrity requires breaking social norms; and rarely, even the law.

Again, read Carter’s book to get an eloquent and complete discussion of integrity. He covers the basic concepts of promises, marriage, and other applications that demonstrate an integral life.

1. Modest and unassuming in attitude and behavior
2. Feeling or showing respect and deference toward other people
3. Relatively low in rank and without pretensions

Humility is not a peculiar habit of self-effacement, rather like having an inaudible voice, it is a selfless respect for reality and one of the most difficult and central of all the virtues. - Iris Murdoch

If you hear that someone is speaking ill of you, instead of trying to defend yourself you should say: “He obviously does not know me very well, since there are so many other faults he could have mentioned.” - Epictetus

Blame yourself as you would blame others; excuse others as you would excuse yourself. - Chinese proverb

Franklin’s advice is simple and direct – imitate two people who were known to have the virtue of humility. The quotes suggest some of the qualities of humility; respect for your position in the Universe, self-effacing humor, treating yourself as you’d have others treat you, and so forth. In order to get Franklin’s point, we’ll have to take a look at the lives of both Socrates and Christ.

He (Socrates) declared that he knew nothing, except the fact of his ignorance (Diogenes Laërtius). In the writings of Plato, we see that his teacher, Socrates, was indeed aware that he was a very small cog in a vast machine. Executed for suggesting that the world was larger than it was seen at that time, Socrates lived a life of humility. Socrates knew that he could live a good life, and study always, and that in the Universe these accomplishments would still mean almost nothing. He knew his limits and influenced others through quiet reflections on reality more than have the most voluble orators.

Christ, believed to be the Son of God by Christians, lived a life that defined the term humility. Leaving heaven as the Creator, He arrived in Bethlehem in a feed trough for domesticated animals. Regardless your belief in the supernatural events in Christ’s life, there can be gained a good picture of humility. Born to a young mother and a carpenter father, He worked hard and learned much. His life and composed attitude, even in death, set the Perfect standard for each of us. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Phil 2:3-5 NIV).

To me, humility has several features:

Meekness combined with self-knowledge
To be meek requires a quiet and composed outlook. Meekness does not imply weakness, quite the opposite. A plant that blows in the wind appears to be pliant and weak, but indeed has a deep taproot.

Understand your place in the world
We must understand our duties in society and family, but we must never let that narrow view of reality cause us to think that we are over-important in the entire scheme of things.

Know that others are your equals (or betters)
”Every man knows something, and in that, I am his pupil” (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

1. The pursuit of or indulgence in sexual pleasure

Each coming together of man and wife, even if they have been mated for many years, should be a fresh adventure; each winning should necessitate a fresh wooing. - Marie Stopes

It provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance. Therefore much drink may be said to be an equivocator with lecher. - William Shakespeare

Its (pornography) avowed purpose is to excite sexual desire, which, I should have thought, is unnecessary in the case of the young, inconvenient in the case of the middle aged, and unseemly in the old.- Malcolm Muggeridge

Franklin’s opinion on a volatile subject is clear – minimize sexual contact in every situation. The addition of other concepts seems almost an afterthought; he knew that abstinence was unlikely. Moderation is seen in the last part of the phrase, as well as the admonishment that acting on this strong urge can result in grave harm to relationships and social standing.

My view on chastity is this:

A time and a place for everything
Yep, I’m one of those conservatives that believes that sex should take place between two married people, and those of different genders. I believe this because it is God’s plan for our lives.

Sex is only one facet of life’s diamond
Good sex is great! Bad sex is even pretty good. Don’t let anyone tell you that it isn’t great fun, but a lot of things are great fun. Don’t let a very small area of your body rule a large portion of your life. Your time and energy is precious, it should be spent across the spectrum of possibility and happiness, not primarily in the physical pleasure arena.

Avoid impropriety or the appearance of such
The best way to evade bad outcomes from sexual activity is to avoid any situation where an unfortunate sexual event can occur. Married people should steer clear of one-on-one relationships with members of the opposite sex. To be doubly safe, avoid even the appearance of indecency, that will minimize your risks and will keep your reputation intact.

Do not fan an already strong flame
Folks, sexual urges are strong enough already. Do not fan them with sexual banter, pornography, or other vicarious pursuits. A dulled sense of what is sexually arousing will lead to an ever increasing level of sexual activity and strained relationships. The regular viewing of pornography is a drug that will require an ever increasing scale of perversity and frequency to satisfy. You may think that the regular viewing of pornography is not harmful, but you are wrong.

1. Free of any disturbance or commotion
2. Showing no signs of anxiety or agitation
3. A state of peace and calm

Anger blows out the lamp of the mind. In the examination of a great and important question, every one should be serene, slow-pulsed, and calm.- Ingersoll

It is easier to forgive an enemy than a friend.- Mme. Dorothee Deluzy

Good-humor is goodness and wisdom combined - Owen Meredith

“Let your occupations be few”, says the sage, “if you would lead a tranquil life”. By a tranquil mind I mean nothing else than a mind well ordered.- Marcus Aurelius Antonius

Franklin’s words are summarized by a late 20^th century American colloquialism, “Chill out”. This phrase means that we should take it easy, cool down, don’t take things so seriously.

My thoughts on tranquility are as follows:

Prepare a quiet place in your mind
Learn how to relax and do it. In practice, this is different for each person. In the media-frenzied world of today it is very hard to step back and take a moment. While we as humans are very adaptable, it is abnormal to need our stimuli changed every “internet minute” in order to stay awake. I recommend the use of an entire day of the week where we concentrate only on using time with our self and our family. Beyond that, it is a great idea to take just a few minutes each day and exercise, meditate, or otherwise spend quiet time ‘alone’ (with God).

Seek the true meaning of events
Believe only half of what you see, a quarter of what you read, and none of what you hear. Remember that you know your motives, and no other but God. Ensure that you have done all that you reasonably can to connect what you’ve observed to reality before drawing conclusions and acting. We each see the world though eyes made of a single life experience. These eyes then peer through the glasses of our current emotions to observe the world. If you would see clearly, open your eyes wide and remove your glasses.

Live in the gap
Steven Covey gets the credit for coining the phrase, but this concept has been a cornerstone of my life since age thirteen. The idea is that between a stimulus and a reaction, there should be a gap. We should each endeavor to recognize this gap and widen it each time we see it. While in the gap we can filter elevated emotion through a filter of reason and we are able to act in accordance with our lasting life’s plan, rather than according to fleeting emotion.

1. The degree to which somebody keeps clean or a place is kept clean

More often than not, things and people are as they appear. - Malcolm Forbes

Cleanliness is the luxury of the poor - Mexican Proverb

What separates two people most profoundly is a different sense and degree of cleanliness. - Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Moral, like physical, cleanliness is not acquired once and for all: it can only be kept and renewed by a habit of constant watchfulness and discipline. - Victoria Ocampo

This was obviously a key character trait to the fastidious Franklin, but what can it possible mean to us today? Should we remain clean, with everything in good order, so that we can appear to the rest of humanity as people who are “sorted out”? What are my reasons for handing this “virtue status”?

There is a fair argument to be made that the habits and care necessary to keep everything in good repair, and good appearance, are skills that are the basis for future learning. This is one reason we so desperately try to pass the learning of this virtue on to our children at a young age. It also seems reasonable that the maintenance of cleanliness, as an eternal effort, is a proxy and preparation for life. Life’s learning also demands our attention, and continual effort; perhaps cleanliness is a natural preparation and stimulus for the larger process?

So, to me, cleanliness consist of these parts:

The processes whereby Order is maintained
As discussed, cleanliness is not an end state, it is a process. In order to keep your house clean, you must hang your coat properly – when you take it off. In order to keep your mind clean, you must moderate thoughts – on the way into your brain, and so on.

A method to practice continual improvement effort
There is no other area in life that provides us regular external stimulus to remind us of the need for maintenance and growth. Cleanliness requires minute-by-minute attention, and that is great exercise for the mind!

Consistent reminder that entropy exists
Beyond the practice in consistent effort, cleanliness offers us a view on the rest of life’s learning; order decreases. It takes a constant influx of energy to set things right again.

A source of self-esteem, when all else fails us
When you cannot be proud of anything else, be proud that your house, your clothes, and your mind are clean.

1. The state in which something remains moderate rather than becoming extreme or excessive

The true boundary of man is moderation. When once we pass that pale, our guardian angel quits his charge of us. - Owen Feltham

In moderating, not in satisfying desires, lies peace. - Reginald Heber

Franklin’s words bring to life a dimension of this virtue that is not commonly considered; the idea that emotion should be moderated. There is a point at which almost every thought or action becomes unhealthy, and the virtuous person will seek to define that “tipping point”, and then remain firmly on the fair side of it.

Many argue that moderation is an argument for a society of “Type B” clones and automatons. Quite the opposite, with a firmly defined boundary, a wide array of passion and emotion is freely available. When the edges of the playing field are known, a lot of free-spirited running and fun can be had. Conversely, if you don’t know where to begin and end, movement is tentative and halting. Free yourself with virtue-born boundaries!

My personal ideas on moderation are these:

Know yourself, know the terrain, know your limits
Firstly, to know yourself, you must train your mind to recognize your own faults and foibles. Emotions must be curbed and guided, taken as one source of input for decision-making. Secondly, closely examine the environment in this situation – no two are the same – and many variables can change your perspective. Finally, understand what your own physical, emotional, intellectual, and moral limits are. Knowing these “lines” is the only way to know when you are approaching dangerous ground.

Regulate your thoughts, guide your emotions
Reason is a wonderful thing, and should be taken as input for every decision, no matter how trivial. Employed alone, it has the potential to produce an uncaring and detached approach to the world, do not neglect your heart. To encourage the more frequent application of reason is most necessary in the world today, but a word on emotion is also necessary. I would caution that emotion should be toned down in our own mind, and should always be played to the world a level below the way we feel it. I’ll leave you with the wisdom of my grandfather; “Son, never ignore a gut instinct, but never believe that it’s enough”

Consider the source and understand diversity
Newsflash – not everyone thinks and feels like you do, or for the same reasons! You haven’t any idea of the upbringing of the other parties in the social transaction, nor do you have full knowledge of their motives. Go with the assumption of positive intent, even though you might get “burned” emotionally from time to time. Assuming that others mean well, and are merely acting in a way that you cannot understand opens you to the chance of disappointment, but the positive benefit on you and society is well worth it.

(two of seven definitions)
1. Fairness or reasonableness, especially in the way people are treated or decisions are made
2. Sound or good reason

Justice is a certain rectitude of mind whereby a man does what he ought to do in the circumstances confronting him. - Thomas Aquinas

The aim of justice is to give everyone his due. - Cicero

Most everyone wants to do what’s fair, right, and good, but knowing what is often the tough part. - Malcolm Forbes

No cause is hopeless if it is just. Errors, no matter how popular, carry the seeds of their own destruction. - John W. Scoville

Many people define justice as, “Being fair when something comes up”. That is, in reaction, to be unjust is a sin of commission. Franklin’s statement clearly conveys the concept that a sin of omission also exists; not executing your duties justly (or fully).

I detest injustice, as such, my thoughts on justice are many; here are a few:

Seek to do what is just when called upon to do so
When a situation requires your input, decision, or involvement, ensure that you find and do what is fair and reasonable, given the circumstances.

Fair does not mean equal
Circumstances and environment are important factors in deciding what is just in each situation. The easy example here is with children. Your ten year-old might warrant a stereo in her room, but fairness does not dictate that your two year-old also receive one.

Failing to discern what is just is injustice
As stated clearly by Franklin, failing the inductive side of justice is also unjust. Turning a blind eye to suffering or injustice – when you could change the situation – is the same as performing the injustice first-person.

Do not protect people from natural consequences
”To protect fools from their folly is to fill the world with fools.” Justice dictates that we also allow people to suffer the consequences of their poor actions. We should do what we can to assist them in the learning and rebuilding process, but only after the consequences have taken hold. It is important to note that justice also decrees that we have a responsibility to warn people of the likely effect of their actions, before the actions, if possible.

1. Honesty and genuineness: honesty in the expression of true or deep feelings

The first virtue of really great men is that they are sincere. They eradicate hypocrisy from their hearts. They bravely unveil their weaknesses, their doubts, their defects… - Anatole France

Sincerity is impossible unless it pervades the whole being, and the pretense of it saps the very foundation of character. - James Russell Lowell

He who is sincere has the easiest task in the world, for, truth being always consistent with itself, he is put to no trouble about his words and actions; it is like traveling on a plain road, which is sure to bring you to your journey’s end better than byways in which many lose themselves. - John Tillotson

To this point we have run on reason, and full steam ahead. Here we find that the ship of character will run aground without strong emotional content. Sincerity goes beyond honesty and implies the manner in which we should render truth to ourselves and our fellow man.

At the end of his sentence, Franklin combines this virtue with Silence. It is far easier to relate the truth, and to do so kindly, when deep thought is used before the mouth is opened. A further revelation is revealed in the middle of the thought; what you think is what you tend to portray (or speak).

My idea of sincerity is as follows:

Seek to understand and purify your own motives
Beyond the healthy psychological effects of self-truth, you will find that looking deeply at your own motives will provide a broader (and more open) view of others actions.

Make consistent effort not to hurt people, but to be forever honest
When the truth must be said, say it; nicely. Never contrive to hurt another through word or action, and attempt to think from cause to effect, before speaking or acting.

“What a man says drunk, he has thought sober.”
We should not avoid negative or cruel thoughts only because they could get us into trouble. We should actively seek to drive out negative thought in order to better focus on the optimistic Art of Possibility.

Be who you appear to be, and improve on that always
”A man who tells the truth does not require a good memory”. Again, not in self-defense, but toward the positive. We should each attempt to clearly show who we are – so that we can improve on a clear state of being – not attempting to go somewhere without admitting where we are today.

(one of three definitions)
1. Diligent hard work (formal or literary)

In the ordinary business of life, industry can do anything which genius can do, and very many things that it cannot.- Henry Ward Beecher

If you have genius, industry will improve it; if you have none, industry will supply its place.- Sir Joshua Reynolds

A man who gives his children habits of industry provides for them better than by giving them a fortune.- Richard Whatley

Franklin’s words are direct, and sound to the untrained as a recipe for certain burnout and boredom. Mr. Franklin, while very industrious, did not disdain to share his belief that relaxation and “fun” were necessary. “Something useful” does not mean boring. Family life, play with children, walking with your spouse, these are all “useful.” The concept of industry adds to the approach of frugality by suggesting that we should always be employed with something that will teach or benefit us. (What does this virtue mean to television?)

My personal thoughts on industry are as follows:

Use time well.
Already covered well in Franklin’s words. All we have are 86,400 seconds each day – that is our only possession each full day we are alive – we must make the most of each.

Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good
When it’s done and it works, leave it. There is no greater waste of time than trying to improve on a success. Go find another place to have a success.

Always have structured learning
Covered in the virtue of Education, always pursue formal learning (as well as learning from every life experience).

Have (and do) hobbies
On the rare occasion that you are presented with “free time”, it is good to have a hobby that interests and “stretches” you. I personally use farm work and the study of theoretical physics – both stretch the mind – one stretches the body.

Work hard, play hard
Don’t feel guilty about playing – do it well and fully. Work to the fullest, during the allotted time; and then, play! Try dedicating yourself to each endeavor 100%, even if that endeavor only has ten minutes of time that day.

(three of several definitions)
1. Characterized by thriftiness and avoidance of waste
2. Involving very little expense
3. A sparing, controlled, or efficient use of something

Economy does not consist in saving the coal, but in using the time while it burns. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Mere parsimony is not economy… Expense, and great expense, may be an essential part in true economy… Economy is a distributive virtue, and consists, not in saving, but in selection. - Thomas Nixon Carver

Economy is the art of making the most of life. The love of economy is the root of all virtue. - George Bernard Shaw.

I envy Franklin’s mastery of the language as he is able to say – in a short sentence – that which I cannot explain even in a paragraph. The statement made here clearly outlines the concept that every outlay should be non-trivial.

My ideas on frugality are as follows:

Waste nothing
There should be no situation where a resource is wasted. This concept extends from finances through possessions to time. All we have is time – it should be made the most of – whether that is trading it for money or investing it in others. Money is nothing but time, one step down the value chain; possessions are yet another step down the chain. Time is the thing – conserve it – and invest it with family and friends.

Bring value with expenditure
Brook no expense that does not bring value to someone. A trivial use of money or time can never be recovered. Short-term benefit is good, but the best investments continue to pay back over time. Spending time with young children, for instance, is paid back in both the short and long term. The child is happy in the now, and your long-term benefit is the base on which the child can someday build a solid life, if they choose to

Be generous
It is not frugal only to hoard goods to yourself. Share your wealth and bring happiness to others. It should be noted that this applies doubly where time is concerned – spending time only with or on yourself is larceny – share your time.

Go out on a limb
In order to reap a fair harvest, do only what is expected, consistently. If you desire a great harvest, sow many different seeds on many different types of soil. Some will fail, and you will learn. Some will succeed, to your great gain. Never risk, however, food on your table.

(two of thirteen definitions)
1. A firm decision to do something
2. Firmness of mind or purpose

Irresolution on the schemes of life which offer themselves to our choice, and inconstancy in pursuing them, are the greatest causes of all our unhappiness. - Joseph Addison

No one would have crossed the ocean if he could have gotten off the ship in a storm. - Charles Kettering

When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at this rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet, at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before. - Jacob A. Riis

It is trivial to say that success comes from perseverance because it is so obvious. Franklin’s text shows an added depth however, as he implies that each of us should work at finding out what it is that we should be doing, as well as doing it without fail. This concept brings together the best of Order, Resolution, and Integrity.

My thoughts on resolution are summarized in this list:

Consistency breeds ongoing improvement
The best way to find if your plan works in reality is to stick to it doggedly over time. Sooner or later you’ll find if your plan fails in some area, or if other factors are not ripe. Keeping your word not only supports others and their impression of you, it plants the seeds of true self-esteem.

Strong and well-defined decisions chart a course
It does no good to make decisions in an ill-defined manner, even if you do it quickly. The only way to support your plan with decision-making is to understand both deeply; this is impossible if both the plan and the decisions that support it are not well-defined.

Stay the course
If your plan looks like it isn’t working, give it time. Don’t second guess yourself immediately. You’ll find that in our society, most people don’t think as deeply as you, and certainly are not as worried about improving themselves. This environment can cause you to doubt that your course is true; in fact, it is a likely sign that your course is right!

Go out on a limb
Commit yourself to courses of action that are not fully known at the onset. Do not be hasty, but remember, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”. The depth of learning that these situations offer is intense.

many definitions removed – over twenty exist)
1. An organized state, with elements arranged properly, neatly, or harmoniously
2. The way in which several items are arranged, as an indication of when each will be dealt with
3. The arrangement of society into groups or classes and the relationships between them

Order means light and peace, inward liberty and free command over one’s self; order is power. - Henri F. Amiel

Method will teach you to win time. - Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Nothing is orderly till man takes hold of it. Everything in creation lies around loose. - Henry Ward Beecher

My thoughts on order are summarized in this list:

• A place for everything, and everything in its place
  This dimension of the concept “order” is likely the most common. Almost everything runs a bit better when there is a design for action. The more often we do a thing, the easier it becomes. We must endeavor to create and maintain systems of order for our belongings, for our time, and for our actions. This concept is valid in individual life, but takes on a heightened meaning when applied in a group (such as in the workplace).

• Some things are more important than others
  Having a system for the categorizing and accessing of things is good, but if we stop there, we won’t know what to do next. Understanding what is important allows us to do the most important thing now, and realize what the next thing will be. This is good in personal life, important in teamwork, and critical in inter-personal relationships. For instance; knowing where to find your socks in the morning is nice, identifying your next task at work is important, and understanding that your child needs a bedtime story from you is critical.

• Order liberates time
  The human mind has a wonderful feature – when it senses something it automatically tries to classify it – comparing it to previous experiences. This is great when sitting at a traffic light – without this feature we would sit there for minutes – trying to assess what to do next. Efficiency experts will tell you to have a plan for everything in order to get more work done in a certain amount of time. I suggest that we should have a plan, but to liberate time from work, to re-deploy that time according to our social/familial duties and render service to our Lord.

• “Six days shalt thou labor..”
  The Christians among us will recognize this as the first part of the Sabbath covenant with man. God did not merely tell man to celebrate time with God on the 7^th day, he clearly instructed man to tame the space around him (to labor) on the other six days. We should endeavor to labor with diligence and order so that we can celebrate time one day of the week. Call this Sabbath if you will, and if you would not, call it “family day” or “the day for time”.

1. The absence or lack of noise
2. A refusal, failure, or inability to speak
3. An absence of notice or acknowledgment of something

• A man who lives right, and is right, has more power in his silence than another has by his words. - Phillips Brooks
• One nice thing about silence is that it cannot be repeated. - Gary Cooper
• It is difficult to keep quiet if you have nothing to do. - Arthur Schopenhauer

In his admonishment, Mr. Franklin seems to concentrate on the “value content” of the words spoken and on the time that can be wasted by idle talk. These are good points, but they are certainly not all the benefits of silence. The refusal to speak when another is probing for gossip, and the avoidance of complaining are two further benefits gained from this virtue.

Holding your tongue is largely a “defensive” benefit. That is, if you hold your tongue you’ll break even, but you won’t lose. Many people in America today, however, believe that without speaking out (and loudly), that their point will not be heard. Sadly, that is sometimes true. To win in the short run, you may be forced to speak. It is likely that in the long run, a man who is right and silent will win. Facts are stubborn things, and these, combined with silence, will shine the full light of day on any issue – in time.

It begs arguing that if a man is silent, that he can spend time both listening and thinking. There is a long-standing drought on the planet today where thinking is concerned. It often seems that all of the basic thinking that our society was founded on was done in the 18^th century, and precious little is practiced today. It goes without saying that a man who will listen is popular everywhere. It is also true that a man who knows how to listen will soon be wiser than his peers who do not.

My thoughts on silence can be summed up in a combination of the preceding passages: Let your life and actions speak for you, for they speak loudest. In the areas that your life and actions cannot speak for you, speak carefully and only after deep thought. In the evening, reflect on the changes that you need to make in your character so that your life will do the talking the next time. In conversation avoid small-talk, seek to know and learn from the people you are speaking with. Speak critically of others only in an honest effort to assist them – place yourself in the other person’s place before gently speaking to them.

1. Total abstinence from alcoholic drink
2. Self-restraint in the face of temptation or desire

The text by Franklin covers one of the seven deadly sins (Gluttony) as well as touching on an issue that would become even larger one hundred years later. In the late 1800s, the temperance movement pushed for legislation to prohibit alcoholic beverages. The 18^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified on Jan 16, 1919 – prohibiting the use and sale of alcoholic beverages. This same Amendment was repealed in 1933.

Why was it so critical to ban the use of alcoholic beverages? The reasons are multifold and complex, but most of the reasons boil down into two main causes; 1) Women did not have sufficient rights during this period in American history, and, 2) Alcohol use by men was far higher than duty should allow.

The man was the head of the home, and the sole breadwinner. The husband did what he liked, and whether or not it was responsible or harmed the family wasn’t part of the woman’s legal concern. Women rightly chafed under the gap between their broad responsibility and limited rights. When women endeavored to insert themselves into town politics, they found that women were banned from saloons, and most local political meetings took place in a saloon. This was a major cause for the creation of women’s groups that demonstrated against (and sometimes destroyed) saloons.

At the end of the 19^th century Americans spent over a billion dollars on alcoholic beverages each year. In comparison, 900 million was spent on meat, and less than 200 million on public education. Since women depended solely on the man for financial support, and social standing, it was important to women that men execute their duties to their wives and families fully. It is also evident from the statistics above (and other historical evidence) that men were drinking far too much, and therefore, reducing their abilities to execute their duties. Thus, the prohibition of alcoholic beverages became a plank in the temperance movement platform.

While I agree fully with the concept of removing oneself from situations where temptation exists, I do not agree with the legal limiting of a person’s choices – in almost all arenas. During the causes listed above, wives, society, and other men should all have come together to guide a wayward soul to his duty. An irresponsible man that drinks to “elevation” – with his drink removed – will still be an irresponsible man. The issue is that the man is irresponsible, the excessive drinking is merely the manifestation of irresponsible behavior.

My thoughts on temperance are as follows: Those devices or practices that are clearly and simply not good for the mind or body should be avoided. If one engages in these practices anyhow, they should be done in a limited fashion and infrequently, with time enough between applications as to reasonably recover.

What is virtue? It is to hold yourself to your fullest development as a person and as a responsible member of the human community. - Arthur Dobrin

When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary. - Thomas Paine

The shortest and surest way to live with honor in the world is to be in reality what we would appear to be; and if we observe, we shall find that all human virtues increase and strengthen themselves by the practice and experience of them.- Socrates

The goal of this exercise is to relate the basic virtues, simply, in written form – in order to more frequently and fully apply the virtues in daily life – and to drive out character faults on as frequent a basis.

Drawing from the experts quoted above, I can list the things that I clearly believe about the virtues I will list in the following posts:

• To be virtuous one must think about his actions, in advance of them. Good intentions are a necessary precursor to change, but there is no emotional substitute for reason in the definition and improvement of each virtue

• Developing each virtue makes each of us a more responsible member of society. Beyond the societal benefits, we will be happier with ourselves, and will be better able to give to those we love.

• There is no “free lunch” for good virtue. Repeated effort and hard work are necessary to become continuously more virtuous. Improvement requires reflection each evening, and a plan each morning.

• We should endeavor to act like who we are capable of becoming, and to improve that person each day. Our aim must to be honestly and deeply change ourselves (allow God to change us) for the better. Acting like something we are not only slows the process of growth.

The first paragraph in each virtue section is very likely the thought that Benjamin Franklin had on the subject. After the thoughts of Franklin there appears the dictionary definition of the virtue, then commentary, and finally my personal thoughts on each matter.