Wednesday, October 31, 2012

A Virtuous Life


READ THIS FIRST:
For this blog response, I would like you to speak some truth! You MUST first answer my questions; be thorough, show depth and use Franklin's text to support your assertions. I would like you to write a critical question at the end of your response. I expect you to respond to at least one other person's post and question.
Do not give me just one sentence...write with some heart and conviction. Write what is real to you.

1. What virtue on Franklin's list do you think is most important? What virtue do you think people need to improve upon?
2. How do we learn what it means to live "right"?  
3. What virtues must you attain to live a "good" life? Do you practice these?
4. What drives you to improve (if you seek this idea)? Will we ever be satisfied?

45 comments:

  1. 1) I think the most important virtue on this list is the virtue of Order: Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time. I choose this as the most important because without your life being organized and timely, none of these other virtues would be possible to complete. Other than this being the most important in my mind, I think that as a whole people need to work on the virtue of Moderation: Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve. This “sticks and stones” kind of virtue is something that I know everyone struggles with, in our times the idea of revenge is more powerful than forgiveness or even just forgetting, people can’t just “turn the other cheek” anymore.
    2) I think just as Franklin said, to live right we need to analyze ourselves and find these ‘virtues’ and try to spend our lives resolving these things that are necessary to live our lives, but not necessarily everyone elses, because we are all different and struggle with different virtues. The hardest part is figuring out what we need to fix, not necessarily the actual fixing part of it.
    3) I think there are mainly 5 virtues that if you obtain, you will live a full and honest life: Order, Resolution, Sincerity, Moderation and Tranquility. If you have, and you have to have, each of these for the others to be possible, they create a web of strength for someones life, but without one there cannot be the others and that becomes the imbalance in peoples lives. Personally, I am still working at these virtues, and frankly I think that everyone is still struggling with them because as humans I believe it is impossible to even think of completing them, the greatness comes in the struggle to obtain what you cannot.
    4) Just as I said above, you are driven to complete these to make the fullest of your life, to become great because everyone wants greatness, and few actually enjoy it when they have it, they only want more which is where the flaw is, and I admit that I am privy to the same idea. There is never satisfaction with what we cannot have, because we always want more without cause, and we can see this plainly when you watch children. Whenever a child is told “no”, or “you can’t have that” they become fixated on this idea that they can, and they will. “Enough is Never Enough.”

    Q: What virtues actually matter when all we are going to strive for is more than what we can obtain?

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    1. I think that the virtues are there to guide us to doing good. nobody is ever going to perfect them, but they guide us through life

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  2. 1. The most important virtue of Franklins is, “Silence, speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation,” because how you speak is usually who you are. If you speak a lot about a bunch of stupid stuff then you are usually a stupid person. The virtue that most people need to improve on is, “Temperance, eat not to dullness’ drink not to elevation.
    2. We learn to live right by our parents. They are the ones that teach us everything we need to know when we are little and when we grow up.
    3. You need to attain at least a couple of the key virtues to live a good life. No one will be able to live all these virtues out all the time because otherwise that would mean that they are perfect and nobody is perfect. I practice most of these but at different times.
    4. The thing that drives me most to improve myself is society around me. Societies pressures are what drive most people to be who they are today.

    What is the virtue that you think will help you be the best person you can be. Why?

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    1. I feel that the best virtue that we can learn to apply in our life is honesty. I feel that if we can all show honesty that we will be able to have better relationships with people, have better interactions, and be a more trust worthy person.
      Q. Is there really one virtue that can be argued to be better than all the rest?

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    2. I think the virtue that will help me a better person would be not to fear. Everyday I fear something will happen and I need to just live life unexpected and whatever comes my way I will face it when it comes around but in the mean time just enjoy what I have while I have it.

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  3. 1. I feel that Franklin's virtue of humility is the most important, because it is a trait that I feel a lot of people could learn a thing or two about, especially in this society since people seem to think that they are the best at everything until someone shows them that they are not.
    2. I feel that we learn to live "right" through the examples that we see and the outcomes of situations that we are involved in. We learn right from wrong by our actions, and the people that see teach us how to live according to the law of the land, which is a way to live "right". I feel that there is no true way to live "right" however. Because if there was, everyone would be doing it and they would not be struggling, there would be no crime, and we all would be perfect model citizens.
    3. I feel that there are mo particular virtues that we must master in order to live a good life, because there are so many virtues to try to master, and even if you do, that does not guarantee a good life. I feel it is how implicate these virtues that can make your life good.
    4. What drives me is myself, because of the image that I have of myself. I feel that if I do not improve, then the image I see when I look at myself will then be the image that society sees of me. In turn I feel that we will never be satisfied, because we have been taught at a young age that there is always room for improvement.
    Q. Is it possible to over do it and try to be someone that you are not through these virtues that we try to master to become a "better" person?

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    1. I do believe it is possible to over do it, because most people talk about who they would be if they could be someone else. Bettering yourself is important but you don't want to get carried away with it.

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    2. I think in some ways it can be good to try and become a better person, but there definetly is a difference between becoming a better person and becoming a completely different person which could be negative because you may not be yourself that way.

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  4. 1. I think the most important virtue on Franklins list is Sincerity: use no harmful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly. I think this is the most important because you need honesty in your life. Without honesty in your life you wouldn't be able to do many other of the virtues. I think most people need to improve on this virtue because there are many dishonest people in the world who will do anything including lie to get to the top.
    2. I believe we learn what is is to live by, by the adult figures in our lives. If your parent/guardian are people who are in trouble a lot and are not very motivated you will have a different description of living right than others.
    3. I believe that there are different virtues for every person. You can have main virtues that most people live by but one person might work better unorganized than others or someone not be be good at resolving things. A good life to someone doesn't mean the same thing for everyone else. I practice the virtues that fit best to me personality, schedule, and surroundings.
    4. I think that society is the main reason why people want to better themselves. It is the same for me I try to be perfect in the way that I live but my description of a perfect life is based off of famous people and society.
    Q. Has society changed the types of virtues we think are important?

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    1. I think society has changed the types of virtures we think are important. As generations change new problems come up and adress differnt virtues. I don't think every virtue is appearing as they should, however I think we need to pay attention to them and be aware of the virtues in case a generation should ever need it.

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  5. 1. The virtue I think is most important would be moderation, avoiding extremes and avoid being offended by things done to you. People need to improve on frugality. Most people don’t save things and choose something they want over something they need.
    2. We learn how to live right by what we see growing up and how we are raised. Everyone has a different opinion on what living right truly is.
    3. I think as long as you attain temperance, order, frugality, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, and tranquility you will be living a good life. I think I do practice most of these.
    4. Wanting to be better drives me to improve. I do not think we will ever be satisfied, there is always something newer and better coming out.
    Should we practice all of these virtues in order to live a good, happy life?

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    1. I think we should practice them and that it will make us better people in the ong run. Also, being better people will make us happier.

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  6. 1) I believe that sincerity is the most important virtue because it is what we learned since kindergarten, “if you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all”. People definitely need to improve on sincerity because if we did, bullying and suicide would be greatly reduced
    2) To learn to live right, we must be reminded to do so every day and we must restrain to do any wrongs and resist against peer pressure. If only resisting doing something you really love after you finish your homework was that easy.
    3) In order to have a “good” life, you must have temperance, silence, sincerity, justice, humility. I practice only sincerity, because if I did practice all a “good” life seems boring and pointless, since life is all about experience and learning. A life should have its ups and downs and you should learn as you go along. Since there are certain things that only you can teach yourself and no one else.
    4) I don’t want to perfect myself because imperfections are fun, and its what makes me, me. And no, we will never be satisfied. If you see kids now a day, they have the new iPhone5, new iPad and everything they want and yet they still want more. It’s never enough to satisfy a human being right now because they don’t know what they truly want; they only have what they think they need.
    Question: What virtue would you want to add to Franklin’s list that you think everybody should achieve?
    @BenH: I think it is possible to overdo it and become someone who you are not. There are people like that that try to please everybody they meet. Pleasing everybody may make them happy, but you won’t be happy and very pleased with yourself. One cannot simply achieve all these virtues and expect themselves to be happy while trying to make the environment around us a better place to be in.

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  7. @BenH: No, I think that if the person you are is changing from doing something that is supposed to better you, then you are not really following the virtues correctly anymore.

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  8. 1. I think of Franklin's most important virtue would be number 4 because he states, "Order: Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time." In life we learn that we can't control what happens, there are always bad things happening to good people. We often ask ourselves why when there is no right or wrong answer. So allowing you to have you're things in place where you would like them makes life that much more enjoyable. However, letting your business have its time may not be as easy. Bad things happen in time as well as good things. No one know how long they will last but when it does end, always know that you have grown and became a stronger and better person than before. I think people need to improve on virtue number 2 the most. If you think about how disrespectful and cruel girls are in high school it’s scary. I can speak first hand of how nasty things can get between girls. Nobody really thinks about what they say it just comes out, and teenagers don't EVER think about the consequences of what could happen because of their actions.
    2. Being right, making the right decisions in life is hard. Now being a teenager and growing up, losing friends, and trying to figure out your life makes the decisions of making the right choices so much harder. Everyone has grown up with a different set of beliefs, values, and rules but most of the time people end up okay. Sure you have the people that mess up but don’t mean they haven't made many right decisions in their life leading up to what they did. Everyone is right in many parts of their life. No one is perfect and isn't going to make the right decisions every time. So I guess being right goes back to how you were raised in your childhood and things you believe in.
    3. Virtues that you must obtain to have a good life would be 2,3,7,9. In your everyday life you should be follow these virtues if not more of them. 2 and 9 stand out the most to me, because in 2 its saying if you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say it at all. Where 9 is saying sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. If everyone would say suh negative things to people all the time then virtue number 9 could be something else. Clearly, we know that people are mean and say what they want without seeing how their comment could greatly affect someone. Teenagers are very guilty of just saying things, today in our generation there have been many suicides, car accident and many other reasons kids should not be losing their lives. Some is due to bully and other is texting while driving. I would almost say our generation is reckless and careless when it comes to something. It’s scary to think we have had these virtues put in place and yet we have people bending and ignore these virtues in their life.
    4. I always want to improve in life; I'm never really satisfied with what I do. We all know that perfection doesn't exists, but why not have your goal set high and reach for something because at least it will drive you for your entire life. Soccer and school is my motivation in life. It drives me to do my best as a young women so I can later on look back when I’m in college and say that i was driven and it got me somewhere and I'm on my way to successes.
    Question: Why do you think certain people try and bend the rules /virtues Franklin lived by? Is it because we think slightly changing the virtue the right thing to do?

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    1. I think people bend and change the rules/virtues on Franklin’s list because people can’t accomplish them, but they don’t want to seem like they are failing. They need to make the virtue easier for them to achieve so they change the structure or definition a little. The virtues on Franklin’s list can certainly be accomplished, but it takes work and perseverance. The list may scare some people because in order to stick to all the virtues on Franklin’s list (or even their own list of virtues) people may have to change their life. Change is often scary for many people.

      How drastic of a change is need to change a life from average to “good”? What does a person have to change pertaining to virtues, goals, and lifestyle to make their life “better”?

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  9. 1)I think the most important of Franklin's virtues is frugality because I think it is extremely important to do only good things to yourself and others and to remember to never waste anything. I think people need to improve on sincerity, because expecially in high school, people say things that hurt others, sometimes not even knowing that it's hurting them so the phrase if you dont have anything nice to say don't say anything at all really is important.
    2)I think our own morals and what our parents and teachers teach us shows us what is right and wrong. For example just in preschool we were told to share and be nice to people, showing us hitting is wrong and saying please and thankyou is right.
    3)I think you need to obtain the virtues of sincerity, cleanliness and frugality. Mainly because these are basic and should be used in every day life, being nice to people and not being wastefull with your time are used everyday. I try to, sometimes I do not but I'm not perfect and no one is.
    4)What drives me is just my morals and constantly wanting to be a better person and just trying to find ways. I don't think I will ever be satistfied because there is always room for improvement in everything.

    Is anything perfect, or is there always room for improvement?

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    1. the thing about perfection is that it is unknowable, right when we think we got something right, we try to make it better, so we never really know when something is good enough. that's why people always say to look beyond the imperfections and find the beauty in what there already is, because there has always got to be something 'better'

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    2. There is no such thing as perfection. There is always going to be room for improvement, and it is in human nature to find things to improve, and then work to make it happen. "Perfect" can also have different meanings to different people. Maybe some people think that if they had a relationship, their lives would be perfect. Others would rather be single. There are either differences in opinions, or something better to work towards.

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    3. God is perfect, and I also believe that there is always room for improvement. As humans we cannot be perfect because we were born sinful. We can try our best to achieve perfection but we will always fall short. As a Christian you should constantly strive to be like God, while knowing that you can never be like Him till you are in heaven.

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  10. 1.I think the most important virtue on Franklin’s list is Sincerity: use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justify, and, if you speak, speak accordingly. I think this if the most important because ever since we were little kids we were taught by older adults if you don’t have something nice to say then don’t say it at all. I feel that as a society we can improve on saying nice things to people by really realizing what affect if has on the other person. The other person may feel like they don’t even matter. I strongly believe that bullying would decrease because people would be careful what they say to others and realize what really is coming out.
    2.I strongly feel that we learn to live “right” through examples that we see in the society because ever since we were little we were taught to always look up to people as a role model. When someone sees a bad role model it makes us want to be stronger and better than the other person. Being a good role model is a privilege in today’s society.
    3.I believe in order to live a “good life”; you must have temperance, justice, sincerity, and fragility. As a human being I try to practice all the virtues listed above, but in order for life to keep happening I have realized that no one is perfect and that’s what makes this world unique. This world wouldn’t be complete without uniqueness.
    4.I feel that wanting to do better in this society will really not have an impact on me or pay off in the long run. As a society I don’t think we were will ever be satisfied. We always want to have the best of things and never realize that there are people out there that don’t even have basic necessities. I believe that some people have to have the best of things to fit in with the popular groups around them to be bigger and better than everyone else. Plus I think it’s really sad that people take so many things for granted and don’t even really realize what’s happening.
    Do you think as generations go on the virtues will be practiced more or less frequently? Why?
    @ Bianca: I believe that if we practiced these virtues to live a good and a happy life we still wouldn't be a perfect society because everyone makes mistakes no matter what. Also everyone has good and bad times throughout their life.

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  11. 1.Tranquility. The definition of tranquility is calmness, peacefulness. Not only do I believe that this the most important virtue on Franklin's list, but the most over-looked. I feel it is important because without peace and an ordered calmness among the people of people, more and more things would be chaotic. Everyone would be rude, and mean to everybody constantly. Some of that is true now a days. People are mean and rude today, and that is why I believe tranquility is over looked, because people could be much more peaceful.
    2. Making good, smart decisions is part of of living life the "right" way. Although there may be more to living a life the right way, in my opinion those are my two big ways to living life right.
    3. A lot of virtues come in to living a good life. All of Franklin's virtues certainly play a big role in a "good" life.
    4.Stay on top of why you believe in the most. You own virtues will form the person you want to be in the future. The things you enjoy and the things that you love to do, make you strive to live a good life.

    How can we strive to have better virtues in our life?

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    1. Tranquility is overlooked I agree but in order to achieve peace and calmness I think you have to have frugality or sincerity in order for peace to take place. Those two are more important I believe because they are the roots of tranquility. You must be kind and respect others and if everyone did that than there would be peace as a result.

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  12. I think the most important of the virtues is sincerity because being kind to others is very important in life. If you treat others well you'll feel good inside, they will be nice to you, you will have many friends, and it will come back to help in the future. If you cannot say something nice don't say anything at all is a saying that goes well with this. I believe one of the virtues people need work on is industry. Most people today are lazy and definitely do not make use of their time. We need to become more involved and spend time doing useful things rather than actions that waste time.
    2.)We learn what it is to live right by our parents, friends, and other role models. We all have morals we live by and most try to act with their faiths.
    3.)There isn't a certain moral or morals that you need. I think you need a little of all the morals in order to have a good life but mainly i think if you try to stay true to his virtues you will live a happy life. I try to live by virtues like Franklin's and its hard to but I for the most part I try to.
    4.)Humans are never satisfied truly it seems like but I drive myself to improve knowing the satisfaction I will have when I do improve and that it will make me a better person. I always like to think about the final result of what I'm doing and that motivates me and what will come of my hard work.

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  13. 1. To me the most important virtue on Franklin's list is Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself, i.e., waste nothing. People don't understand how lucky they are and they always want more then what they have while others already have nothing. I think people need to work on silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation. Throughout high school I've noticed that people just speak their minds without fully thinking of what they are saying to other people. Secretly no one knows what people are going through and hearing hurtful from other people don't help them it just ends up ruining them, so we need to work on thinking through things before we actually say them.
    2. I think how we grew up and the people around us are what tells us between right and wrong. We grew up with morals that our families and friends created for us only carrying into how we live our life and how we act today.
    3. I think we need to obtain the virtues of silence, order, frugality, sincerity, and cleanliness. These in particular because we need these in a every day lifestyle or to at least try to use in an every day lifestyle in order to be good people. I try everyday to do these things but it always doesn't go as planned but after each day I only try again.
    4. What drives me is just being myself and what my main priorities and morals are. I always want to be a better person and just find new ways to be even if involves losing the important things. I don't think I will ever be satisfied because to me no one is perfect and there is always room for improvement.

    What if everybody lived by Franklins virtues, what would happen today?

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    1. I think that if everybody lived by Franklins virtues, everyone would be happier with their lives and be healthier mentally. Our generation is always so sad due to the amount of bad things they are available to. It is like it is corrupting them; but if they cfound their way back to Franklin's virtues, they would be happier and live better lives. :)

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  14. 1) Order strikes me as the most important virtue on Franklin’s list. Franklin defines his virtue of order by stating “let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.” Keeping things in order leads to an easier life because you will always know where everything is. Time will not be wasted searching for an object if order is employed in one’s life. Without order everything in the world would be a mess. Doctors wouldn’t be able to find file, no one would be able to locate the item they want in a store, and everyone would be lost without and organized street system and road rules.
    The virtue that people need to improve on is definitely sincerity. People today seem to have the hardest time using polite words and actions in the correct manner. In our society people constantly use harmful deceit towards others. The actions and words coming from people may seem nice, but most of the time there is no truth or honesty to the statement or gesture. The virtue of sincerity is starting to deteriorate in all generations – the youngest generation doesn’t have a role model for sincerity so they don’t know how to act.

    2) We learn what it means to live right from the people around us. These people are mostly friends and family. They have the biggest influence on our lives so what they do is often what we do. The way that your family lives is how you grow up to live; therefore you learn what it means to live right at an early age. However as you grow older you are exposed to different life styles and contradicting views on life. When you see a life you don’t like, you insert that into your brain as not living right and the opposite happens for when you see a life you do like. Overall you personally have to discover what it means to live right. People influence you, lead you, and turn you away, but by learning from the achievements and mistakes, you develop your own ideal and right life.

    3) In my opinion attaining the virtue of responsibility and accountability is the most important to living a good life. Taking responsibility for your actions forces people to fix what that they do wrong and change things to make them right. People also learn to hold others accountable. Practicing responsibility can lead to avoiding many arguments and disputes. After responsibility and accountability I think that the virtues of order, love, charity, creativity, honor, integrity, and peace or important. Some virtues such as honor, order, and integrity bring structure to one’s life. Practicing these virtues helps leads to a good life because of the strong foundation they form. Other virtues such as creativity, charity, love and peace bring a more relaxed and fun side to a good life. A good life needs balance between structure and fun. Throughout my life I try to practice these virtues, but I am not as strict at keeping up with them as Franklin was with his virtues.

    4) My peers drive me to improve, but overall I motivate myself to improve. I want to accomplish my goals and my peers, family, and friends just give me a little extra push to get there. My goals are for me so many people don’t know what my own personal goals are. I set goals for myself physically, like when I play sports, and mentally for every many tasks throughout the day. I will most likely never be satisfied because once I accomplish a goal I will set a new one. My new goal could be to improve on the same task, or I could move on to a different idea.

    Was Franklin too harsh and strict on himself that he couldn’t truly live a “good” life? Did he limit other aspects of his life too much by putting strict rules and methods to his virtues?

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  15. 1) Of Franklin’s virtues, I believe frugality is the most important. Life is too short to let things pass by, and by being frugal, you don’t waste time or blow off and ruin special moments because memories are so important to have and make. I believe people need to improve on sincerity because it seems like some people don’t have a filter in their brain that says “I shouldn’t say that, its rude,” they just speak their minds and don’t think about what it’s going to do to someone else.
    2) To live “right,” we just grew up doing what we were told to do, and personally, I was told to follow rules and do what makes me happy, so I feel that that’s how we are supposed to “live right.”
    3) To live a “good” life, I don’t think there are any specific virtues you have to live by, I think they vary on how you want to live. Some people want to live clean lives, so chastity and modesty would be the virtues they live by. And others want an adventurist life, so they’ll live by other standards.
    4) Personally, I just want to be the best that I can be at the things I love to do most. I learn from failure and it’s hard to break my determination. When I set my mind to something, I won’t be satisfied until I reach that mark, no matter how close I come. “Dream it, wish it, do it.”

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  16. should everyone live by franklin's virtues? does he know best?

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  17. 1. I think that the virtue on Franklin's list that is most important is Tranquility. Franklin said that to be tranquil means to "Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable." This quality is one that I, personally try to live by. I believe that life is much more enjoyable when you don't worry about the inevitable, or dwell upon the small complications that life has in store. I see that America, as a whole, has a problem with Temperance. Franklin said that to improve upon temperance, you need to "Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation." America tends to live to eat, rather than eat to live. We overindulge ourselves, and rarely reach a point where we are content with ourselves, whether that is literally in what we eat, or in a deeper context. People are never content with what they have. A man may have a wife, but as she ages he may not find her as attractive so he has an affair. Also, we never stop working towards a new goal. Making the varsity team, or earning a pay raise. There are many moments in life where we do not follow the virtue of Temperance and should.

    2. We learn how to live right through trial and error. If we steal a cookie from the cookie jar, our parent's reprimand us. If we hit a fellow student, our kindergarten teacher will take disciplinary action. On the other hand, if we clean up after ourselves or help in other various ways, we get a gold star. Throughout life we make mistakes. Instead of making the same mistakes repeatedly, we learn, and grow from them. I think, overall we have to teach ourselves how to live right. We choose the actions we take in response to events that we can't control. These actions, in the hardest and most stressful times define whether or not we live our lives "right".

    3. Some of Franklin's virtues that you need to improve upon to have a "good" life are Temperance, Resolution, Frugality, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Sincerity, and Justice. I believe that all of these qualities are necessary because they define a well rounded, thoughtful, introspective, and caring person. They are virtues that one should keep in mind everyday in order to be a better person. If you desire to be a better person, and if you are content with yourself, you will live a "good", and fulfilling life. I practice some of these at certain times, but usually not all at once.

    4. There is always a chance to improve your life. At this point, I don't have a job to try to get a pay raise, or a promotion. Nor do I have children that I am trying to raise correctly. The purpose of my life is to obtain good grades in high school, and be a decent human being to others. Good grades, and pleasant daily interactions are two places where I have room for improvement. My parents are the ones who taught me the importance of grades. Remembering homework, and studying are two key aspects that they instilled in me. Today, I give myself the motivation to study and do homework so that I can build a foundation for a better future. When it comes to interactions with others, I also give myself that motivation. I believe in treating people the way you wanted to be treated. If you are nice to people, people will be nice to you. Like I said earlier, no one will ever be satisfied with what they have. They will always be looking for more. And this includes me. I will never be satisfied with the effort that I put forth until I reach my goals. Even when I reach my goals, I will set new ones that I will strive to obtain.

    What defines a "good" life? How will we know when we have succeeded in fulfilling a "good" life? What happens after we reach that "good" life? Do we have more to do, or is all that is left is to obtain that life?

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  18. 1). Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly. This virtue is the most important virtue on Franklin’s list because it’s saying if you have something mean or unnecessary don’t say it all. Say what you have to say with meaning and conviction and truth. Think things thoroughly and accordingly. Sincerity is the one virtue that people need to improve upon because there are so many hurtful things said towards others that cause damage to them. You don’t always know what’s going on with the person next to you, so think what you have to say to someone before confronting it with them.

    2). We learn how to live right through our parents/guardians because they are the ones who have control over how to live your life for the first 18 years of our lives. We have very important role models in our lives whether if it’s the president or a school teacher that show us a way to live by. The interaction and involvement with other people teach us how we should be.

    3). Temperance, silence, order, frugality, and Sincerity are all the virtues I want to live a good life by. All these virtues have such good meaning to which everyone should live by. They all don’t just teach you to live a balance, well thought out life, but also teach you to live with a purpose and follow your dreams.

    4). I want to be the best that I can be to prove myself that I can do it. In order to do so, you have to improve upon what is stopping you from getting to that goal. There is always something in my life that I want to improve upon but not to a point where it has to be perfect. Imperfections are the beauty of a person who is trying to prove everyone who they are. And taking one step at a time will get you to where you are satisfied. If your not, then that’s what drives us, to be in a state of where we are satisfies with ourselves.

    Is it more important to live by a set of guidelines or virtues, or just live a life care free? Which one would most likely help you live a “good” life?

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    1. In my opinion, I think a life of virtues is the best way to live. If every person lived carefree- there would be no order and too much time would be wasted. I feel as if no one would really want to accomplish anything big because no one would have inspirations. The world would not be so successful and every one would care about themselves rather than others. By having a balance of goals and freedom is the most successful in a good life. That way, you have the possibility of changing lives but can also make the time for yourself that every one needs.

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  19. 1. The most significant virtue I believe is tranquility. The idea of tranquility seems so simple, yet is extremely difficult to obtain. With the constant hardships and challenges thrown in our faces everyday, it's most likely for people to let the stress take over them and I feel as if nobody can ever find time for happiness. We are exceedingly going through the motions to get things accomplished and live the same routine. It may not be this way for ever high schooler, but out there... you don't truly see a whole lot of happiness or balance. Every person needs to make some time for themselves. People need to improve on humility. It is rare you find some one who has great talent but does not boast about it. People are so focused on themselves and care only about their needs and what they want rather than whats needed. We are so materialistic and we need to live the way Jesus did, and do things for others, not ourselves.

    2. To live "right" is taken differently by each person. The first five years of your life is most important and if some one had good people surrounding them to raise them and tell them what good to do, they are going to have a different idea of living right than a person who wasn't raised in a good family or did not have good education. The people we are surrounded by or surround ourselves with with will decide.

    3. To live a "good" life will be different for everybody. Some may say they are tranquil and have balance which gives them happiness and life is good. Others may want to live a life of industry and will always be doing something important to be having a good life. Personally, I live a life of order and sincerity. I make sure I have everything together and gets done what needs to be done and its important to me to be successful later on. I don't want to speak badly of anybody and don't want to do anything to some one to hurt them. And I am careful of the things I put out of my mouth.

    4. What drives me to improve is my morals, beliefs, and goals. I view the world and see all of my possibilities and want to focus on what's ahead of me. I know what I stand for and why I am here and what I need to do and not to do. It's difficult to be satisfied because there is a lot out there to be accomplished. Once you achieve one thing, there's always something next in order to be even better. I don't think some one can truly and fully be satisfied.

    What would happen if every one was completely satisfied after the end of something they accomplished? What would the world look like?

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  20. Rachel- living a good life means living the life you want to live, a point at which what makes you most happy or satisfied. I honestly feel if people live by a set of rules or guidelines to living a “good” life than they’re too focused on living the right way when they should be focusing on how to live a life suitable to them. I think that it will take years to figure out which life style works best for you, but living the way you want to is what determines a “good” life.

    In order to live a “good” life does it mean you have to live by Franklin’s list of virtues? What’s more important, living right or happy? Do you have to follow the virtues to obtain both?

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    1. To live right, is to live happy. Franklin's virtues were for Franklin. Everyone has different virtus that they value more than others. Nobody is that person, people can be alike but no one is the same person.

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    2. But what virtues make you happier to live right?

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  21. I think the most important virtue is justice because i feel people don't stand for others enough and its terrible because people are being taken advantage or being hurt. To live right means to be nice use common sense, find happiness, and to love. I say to love because you can't live without love. Nuff said. To attain a good life, you must find the virtues that most relate to your life and there is so many options that it isn't even countable because everybody is different. I will always be chasing this perfection, but I am human and something or someone will get in my way. But what virtues that can slow you down and keep you from that perfection?

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  22. 1. The most important virtue of Franklins is, “Silence, speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation,” because it represents how so often as humans we try to talk our way through a situation, but in reality sometimes we need to just stop and listen. When I have the most clarity, often times it is when I am sitting alone in silence. Silence is what helps us think, it is where all ideas are born. I think that people need to work on this virtue because if they did there would be more peace. People constantly try to persuade, hurt, and criticize others. People act many times without thought. Now if they had just sat in silence and thought about it, the outcome could be totally different.
    2. I think we learn how to live "right" is by the people that we are raised by. I think it is more the idea of what we think is right. Because someone's idea of right could be completely been different than someone else's. A person could be raised with the idea that discriminating against people of different races is okay, but in reality it is not. It is all of how we are raised.
    3. The virtues I think that you must attain to live a "good" life is being confident in the person you are. If you are confident in who you are then nothing else should matter. If you love the person that you are, then it will reflect in your actions, thus changing other people's lives.
    4. What drives me to improve in my life is God. I am a Christian and believe that not only does God exist but he is in control of everything. My life goal is to show His love to others so that they may also believe in Him. I think by treating others with love and respect is how I improve my life. I find joy in helping others and that is the legacy I wish to leave. The day I will be satisfied is the day I can finally be with my Savior.

    Question: What makes someone's actions right, is there absolute truth?

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  24. 1. I think that Franklin's virtue of justice is the most important.Having justice keeps everything in order and people are happier when everything is fair for everyone. And I do think that justice is a virtue that we need to improve upon because justice doesn't exist everywhere like it should.
    2. We learn how to live "right" by the way we were taught and the morals we have. We know right from wrong because of the things we were taught and the environment we were in while we were growing up. We are influenced a lot by certain events in our lives and I think that, that helps shapes the way we live.
    3. I think that the virtues we need to have in order to live a "good" life are order, humanity, resolution, sincerity, justice and tranquility. I think that more people should try to live by these virtues because I believe that it can help anyone to live a "good" life.
    4. Wanting to be successful is something that motivates me to improve. I want to do and be the best I can at anything I try. I don't think that we can every truly be satisfied.There are always going to be things that people aren't happy about and I don't think that will ever change.

    Could we become one step closer to true satisfaction if we followed Franklin's virtues more?

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  25. 1. I think that the most important virtue of Franklin's was the last one: 13. Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates. This is the most important virtue becuase if you follow God in everything you do and if you live for God, you will have a happier and more blissful life than people who do not. God is the one person who listens to you when no one else will. He is the one who will help you when know else will. He will quide you. He is happiness and God is love. I also think that virtue #13 is the virtue that more people should improve upon because these days, I feel like no one is happy anymore. This is due the amount of bad things that teenagers are now available to. These distractions are pulling people away from God and once they find the way back, they will be happy again. I may be wrong; but it is just my belief.
    2. We learn to know what is "right" based off of our morals. When we were born, we all were born into a family with different beliefs and systems that every other family. I think that we live how we know how to live; which is from our parents. I am not sure if I like this or not because I feel like this way, we do not know any other way/ any other morals.
    3. I think all of Franklin's virtues are the virtues every one should live life by. In order to live a "good" life we need order, humility, sincerity, and cleaniness in the body and in the mind. Once you obtain these virtues, you will live a truly "good" and beautiful life.
    4. Right now I am satisfied, but of course there will always be something that we want that we believe will make us MORE satisfied. What motivates me to improve is watching other people's passion and success throughout life. It makes me eager to do something and grateful of what I have. It makes me want to go out and live for something great.

    What would the world look like if everyone TRULY followed Franklin's virtues?

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    1. If everyone followed Franklin's virtues I believe the world would be a much more alert and kinder place. People would watch what they do and say more and would put more thought into their actions and words.

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  27. 1.justice, because its important for everyone to feel equal and happy. It is important for there to be justice because it makes things much more fair and satifies everyone. I think people also need to improve on having more justice because in our world right now, we don't have a lot and it causes conflics.
    2. You learn how to live "right" based on how you were raised and the morals you have.
    3. It is important to have humanity,and jusitce in order to live a good life, because they go alond with your morals and morals are the outline of ur life.
    4. wanting to be succesful motivates me.

    What virtues actually matter?

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  28. 1. What virtue on Franklin's list do you think is most important? What virtue do you think people need to improve upon?

    The most important virtue on Franklins list is " Silence, speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid thrifting conversations". I believe this virtue is important because it keeps people not only having positive conversations that benefit both parties but also avoids gossip and negativity. There are many people whom get bored with their own lives an use useless conversations of gossip in order to spice up the world around them, often adding a few false things, or spices to the story as well. If people would only talk needed conversations the aspect of gossip in life would be unseen. For talking about another's negative life choices would be considered a useless conversation. In this day in age many people also use talking as an escape from their problems instead of fixing them. If they took the amount of time they spent complaining about the problem working to make the problem better than I believe that life would be a more positive journey.


    2. How do we learn what it means to live "right"?

    I believe that the only way we learn is from experience. Ever since we all were little kids we have been taught right and wrong by the social standards of society. Our families have taught us what actions are acceptable and which ones are not as well as what behaviors are praised. But as we grow older we make mistakes for ourselves in which the consequences are much worse than a time out and these are the things I believe we truly learn from. As we grow we either take those lessons from our parents and apply them to our lives or like many teenagers we do things against them. But as we grow and get discipline from other people we encounter I believe it sticks with us more because not only did we just disappoint our parents but we have been punished by another source which can be embarrassing as well as endured a consequence such as a fine. These mistakes are choices made throughout life after we have been taught the basics of our society and I think they emphasize in what teaches us what is right vs. wrong.

    3. What virtues must you attain to live a "good" life? Do you practice these?

    I believe the most important virtue that we all can all learn from life is to treat others with respect and kindness. How you treat others is a major concern on whether you live a "good" life. Everyone is going to make mistakes in their lives and there is no way around this, but these mistakes do not alter your life. I believe that how your choices affect people and whether you not you knew you were going to hurt those people is what determines how good of a person you are. When you make chose knowing it is going to cause harm to another then that is what makes you wrong. For you willingly went through that action not taking that person into mind and that is an evil in life.

    4. What drives you to improve (if you seek this idea)? Will we ever be satisfied?

    Improvement in my life is for self gratification. I often find small goals in which I wish to accomplish. For example treating people better from middle school to high school. Or improving my worth ethic in order to improve my grades and hopefully make a good lead into my future. I don't think people will ever be satisfied with their goals as when one is complete we often strive for another. No one is or ever will be perfect and therefore everyone will always have something they want to improve.

    Can we have too much of a good thing?

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