The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin: Temperance

Living a virtuous life is the desire for every person who strives to improve and live better each day. Benjamin Franklin lived with a goal of moral perfection on which he set his life to be guided by the 13 virtues. He however admitted that it was not possible to live the virtues perfectly since he failed at some point but his life felt far much better and happier than that of a man who never made an attempt (Franklin 47). All of the 13 virtues are profound and applicable to the modern life and every person should strive to implement all of them one at a time as Benjamin did. Among the 13 virtues, temperance is the most urgent and most applicable virtue in the modern life. Cleanliness on the other hand is important but less applicable in the modern life based what Franklin meant in his age of 1726. I chose the two virtues because of the urgency that curbs today’s society of leading a virtuous life.

To start with, temperance has been ranked at the top among the 13 virtues. Benjamin Franklin defines it with these terms ‘Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation’ (Franklin 48). Other definitions refer temperance as a voluntary refrain from doing something. Temperance is the most applicable and important virtue in the modern society because it forms the basis of self discipline (Franklin 48). Benjamin Franklin chose to concentrate on temperance first because it is the first and initial step towards living a virtuous life. It is the best tool for kicking off self improvement failure to which no step can be advanced. In addition, temperance provides the clearness of mind and conscious for the implementation of the other 12 virtues (Franklin 47). Temperance means being able to resist past habits as well as perpetual temptations which are often overwhelming. Benjamin Franklin pays much attention in defeating hunger and thirst urges which are the most primal and hardest to control (Rollert 390).

In the modern society, the level of appetite and indulgence into excess pleasure has an increasing gradient. People are more exposed to addictive pleasures today than it was in the days of Benjamin Franklin. The advancing technology has brought about new forms of pleasures which need to be regulated from every angle (Rollert 390). They include movies, watching television, surfing, partying and drug abuse among others in addition to eating and drinking habits. Most of these habits are so overwhelming and intemperate people at inclined at a high risk of addiction. The modern society is therefore becoming more vulnerable in terms of temperance as opposed to the ancient society.

Lastly, having temperance is the beginning of sound reasoning from which all the other virtues can be implemented. It’s the heart of success for every man because it defines personal responsibility. For instance, when one gets drunk with alcohol, he cannot be able to control his choices. In the present generation, drunkenness is so rampant and therefore unless temperance is first observed, one cannot make sound decisions (Franklin 49). Robert E. Lee general of the Confederate army shared his experience as he lived the temperance virtue. He shares that the biggest part of his success as a military leader was greatly contributed by abstaining from alcohol (Rollert 393). In today’s society, abstaining from alcohol and appetite would offer the same results in success into a virtuous life.

Men are commonly stereotyped as careless when it comes to matters of cleanliness. However, cleanliness is a universal virtue as Benjamin Franklin describes it. However, its application in the modern society is minimal compared to the other virtues because of some reasons. This less significance has much been contributed by the change in the meaning of virtues over time. Since 1726, his standards and the meaning of cleanliness has changed the most. The idea of what Benjamin Franklin had while discovering it has changed so much such that today’s standard would have disturbed him.

Cleanliness is more of an image for the public. What others perceive someone is greatly attributed by the outward looks. Cleanliness as a virtue gives someone a good image, makes one to feel good as well as promoting beauty (Rollert 398). Nowadays, virtues people are not concentrating on the outward looks but inwards perfection. It is very common nowadays to see religious, respectable and virtuous people who do not put much consideration on cleanliness.

 Inclusion, Benjamin Franklin paved a way for us and the proceeding generations to live a virtuous life. Temperance is the most profound and most applicable in today’s society because this is a generation when appetite and excesses are common at every disposal. Temperance in eating, drinking, watching and working is the most essential virtue today. For people to gather their thoughts, temperance is the basic virtue that will create room for the other virtues. Cleanliness is however important but less profound in today’s society due to the changing standards of the virtue over time. It is however not to be neglected because it has its part in life modeling.

 

 

 

 

 

Work cited:

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Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, 1706-1757. Bedford, Mass: Applewood Book, 2008. Print.

Rollert, John Paul. "How To Succeed In Life." Common Knowledge 21.3 (2015): 390-398. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Dec. 2016.

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