The Best Path Of A Moral Life In Benjamin Franklin's Life

The idea that you can lead a life free of sin or avarice is a noble ideal, but it is not an easy path for one to undertake without consideration. You must weigh the good deeds you could potentially accomplish against the level of personal sacrifice you will most likely endure during your lifetime. You must ensure that you lead by example as you navigate the path in which your life takes while serving humankind. You get the sense while reading Mr. Franklin’s essay that he put a good deal of thought into what is the best way to approach his quest for living a moral life. Early in his life, Benjamin Franklin settled upon the belief that it was possible for him to lead such a life by living in accordance with thirteen virtues that he identified

It was through this process that he was able to settle on “temperance,” “silence,” “order,” “resolution,” “frugality,” “industry,” “sincerity,” “justice,” “moderation,” “cleanliness,” “tranquility,” “chastity,” and “humility” as the virtues he would dedicate his life to trying to achieve. Franklin decided on these terms for the virtues after the careful consideration of how others view these virtues and what they mean to him. Franklin defined what these terms meant to him, specifically, upon completing his research as he realized that each writer had their own interpretation of what these virtues should mean (Franklin). Ultimately, he decided on the areas, which he felt he would have the best opportunity for personal growth and

I just feel more strongly, that when faced with the decision of helping yourself versus helping others that most people would help themselves. A more realistic approach to living a “morally perfect” life is to strive to live life in pursuit of the thirteen virtues, but understand that occasionally we will make mistakes. In making mistakes we will learn that forgiveness is an essential part of the process of growth and understanding. Whether you are forgiving yourself or forgiving someone else for a perceived slight is immaterial. Once this is accepted, we could live without berating ourselves for any misstep we make along the path to “moral perfection” (Franklin). This would relieve a large amount of stress we place on ourselves and will allow us to embrace the whole person ideal instead of just as a conceptual idea of how a person should