If you're interested in something like this, but something that seems a lot more "applicable", try to do sentence completions according to this book. It's one of the best books I have ever read, and I don't say that lightly. Every person I recommend it to instantly is blown away.<p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Six-Pillars-Self-Esteem-Nathaniel-Branden-ebook/dp/B007JK9BAY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1508952781&sr=8-1&keywords=6+pillars+of+self+esteem" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/Six-Pillars-Self-Esteem-Nathaniel-Bra...</a><p>He talks about sentence completions in there. I've been doing them and just a few days of doing them I've already made major changes that I haven't been able to make with "just" mind and willpower. It's like it somehow digs up stuff out of your subconscious and lets it go.
Just a note on Bushido: Although I'm sure such codes can be useful to people, it's essentially bullcrap got used to fuel Japan's rise of fascism.<p><a href="https://www.tofugu.com/japan/bushido/" rel="nofollow">https://www.tofugu.com/japan/bushido/</a><p>I particularly loathe the term as I've heard it used by more than one desperate "white knight" who doesn't practice a single bit of it but uses it to appear virtuous. Whenever I hear someone mention "bushido", my first instinct is to assume they don't know what they're talking about.<p>I think it's fine to espouse the ideology if one actually takes it seriously and understands the history(or lack thereof). Sadly, it seems more often to be used as a seemingly non-denominational form of code to be adopted by those trying to mask their own lack of virtue. Then again, it's probably more effective to adopt parts of different ideologies you find useful rather than taint yourself with a name like Bushido.
D.H. Lawrence's take on Franklin's virtues is immortal:<p><a href="http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/lewiss/lawrence.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/lewiss/lawrence.htm</a><p>My high school English teacher, Frank McCourt, used to love reading this out loud.
I'm sorry but it's very hard for me to take seriously Ben Franklin's exhortations to chastity and temperance. I guess he had some awareness of this given his famous dialogue with gout. <a href="http://www.bartleby.com/109/3.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.bartleby.com/109/3.html</a>
In case the attempt to maintain chastity were in danger of failing, Franklin had some interesting advice on one way to handle that:<p><a href="http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/bdorsey1/41docs/51-fra.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/bdorsey1/41docs/51-fra.html</a>
The first thing that came to mind when reading the list:<p>1. TEMPERANCE
Hara Hachi Bu<p>2. SILENCE
It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.<p>3. ORDER
This would be my wife's number 1. She abhors clutter.<p>4. RESOLUTION
Why is this called resolution instead of honesty?<p>5. FRUGALITY
Avoid debt I guess.<p>6. INDUSTRY
Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.<p>7. SINCERITY
Not sure about this one. Don't be deceitful?<p>8. JUSTICE
I should receive compensation for my work. I shouldn't receive compensation for work that I don't do. If I break a law I should receive the corresponding penalty. If I don't break a law I should not be penalized.<p>9. MODERATION
How is this different than temperance?<p>10. CLEANLINESS
Take a shower once in awhile.<p>11. TRANQUILLITY
Don't be an asshole?<p>12. CHASTITY
Get checked for STIs on a regular basis.<p>13. HUMILITY
Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.
What a small world. I was looking at purchasing the Walter Issac's Ben Franklin book from Audible yesterday. I remember seeing a Discovery documentary about him a few years back and found Ben to be fascinating (before that documentary, he was the guy who flew a kite).<p>I do know that after a while he did do away with his 13 virtues since many of then conflicted with each other (after all, the dude was a ladies man). I guess its a decent experiment to try, but I think its over doing it to have it as your way of life (well 13 virtues anyway).<p>I do like the virtue of being Proactive and Silence. Maybe I should practice them for a week.
As I recall, the punchline to Ben's pursuit of 13 virtues was <i>"Adhering to all these virtues makes one too perfect to be humble"</i><p>The list is self-conflicting.<p>Franklin's conclusion basically was "everything in moderation".
The submission should be titled, "How I have been practicing Ben Franklin's 13 virtue system for 3 years"<p>I went to the article to see why the author had stopped, thinking I'd learn something about such systems (leephillips' comment sheds more on this question).<p>The author interestingly describes <i>how</i> he followed such a process but doesn't really get into the benefits or drawbacks and it sounds like he is continuing.
My favorite BF ancillary axiom is "Advice to a friend on choosing a mistress." There are <i>zillions</i> of horny, middle-upper-class women whom do pilates, yoga, etc. and are HAF. So much nicer to see someone whom has fewer hangups, expectations, drama and behaves more like an adult. Chastity (12.) implies neither celibacy nor promiscuity, but Moderation (9.).
Great post, nice system to improve the self.<p>Sidenote: I think its fair to say Franklin never achieved the "Justice" virtue considering he was considered a racist. I guess pretty much all influential white man in America during the 1700s were though. But check out Benjamin Franklin's "Obervations Concerning the Increase of Mankind, Peopling of Countries."