Franklin Thirteen Virtues Analysis
Franklin derived thirteen virtues he believed every person should live by; temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility. He believed that these thirteen virtues were the key to a successful and pure life. It can be assumed that Franklin’s thirteen virtues were modeled after beliefs from his Puritan upbringing. Franklin not only describes each virtue but, also models a process in which to work to master these thirteen virtues.
Franklin’s process for mastering each virtue is simple. Create a chart in which the days of the week are listed horizontally across the top of the chart and the virtues are listed vertically up and down the chart. On any given
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He would go about his day and at the end of it, he would mark if he failed to stick to the values of the virtue. He repeated this process with each virtue, completing one course in thirteen weeks. The purpose of the recording is to have a visual representation or reminder that he did not uphold the values of the virtue, subsequently reinforcing the thought that he must try to live by upholding the values of the virtue. Franklin’s decision to master one of the thirteen virtues at a time reveals that he has a well-rounded understanding of human nature and the human tendency to be unable to focus on more than one thing at a time. It implies that humans need to maintain focus on one aspect at a time to come to an understanding of it and to be fluent in the aspect and its values. Franklin’s understanding of human nature is what inspired him to invent the thirteen virtues as he believed the thirteen virtues would guide people toward a more Puritan lifestyle.
Admittedly, Franklin’s process of mastering the thirteen virtues individually is longwinded. As time consuming as it may be, I do believe that the process could be deemed a successful strategy for mastering all thirteen virtues. It offers the chance to fully engulf oneself in the virtue and arrive at a complex aprehension of what it means to live by that virtue, which could ultimately benefit or change one’s
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