Head-dibs

“Whatever anyone does or says, I must be good; just as if the emerald were always saying this: ‘Whatever anyone does or says, I must still be emerald, and keep my color.’” (Marcus Aurelius) The story is told of Abraham Lincoln asking the question, “If you were to count a dog’s tail as another leg, how many legs would a dog have?” The answer, of course, is “five.” However, Lincoln disagreed, pointing out that the dog only has four legs despite what one calls or counts the tail. There are two observances to be made of this. The first relates to duty. When God created all things, He declared all things to be good with one exception. It was not good that man should be alone, so He created a help-meet, woman, and gave her to the man. The first man and woman had one duty: to do good by filling the earth and subduing it as God’s vice-regent. The first man and first woman disobeyed God and all mankind in kind has fallen after them, yet duty remains the same. The edict has never changed. Man’s...

Ever heard the term, "use it or lose it"? What better way to underscore the essence of "ability."  One might say "ability" is talent, skill, a possession of means toward an accomplishment. Another might say "ability" is an art or a power, which perhaps might be a better understanding of the sense. "Ability" stands as a virtue because it is a gateway to virtues. It is the intentional use of all faculties, everything that goes into making worthwhile attributes.  "Ability" is the art of improvement, accomplishment, the bed-rock of progress.  "Inability," in contrast, reveals the condition of disuse, an "uncondition" as it were. Inability is powerlessness, ignorance, ineptitude. You are able to do good. Inability to do good is a choice. 

A few days ago there was posted a list of Seven Tenets of Stoicism, the first of which was to seek  "summum bonum" or "the highest good," summed into word, "virtue." How does one seek to be virtuous except through philosophy, the love of wisdom? While it may not be possible to compile an exhaustive list of virtues, one may be able to catalog, think on and reflect on those he finds through wisdom-study. Moral Philosophy is an ideal realm to explore for virtues. As much as possible over the next few days, weeks, perhaps months, we will fill an undetermined number of blog posts related to the nurture of our personal "summum bonum," with the view of making a contribution to the people in our lives and the world in which we live. 

FIRST, A MATTER OF INTEREST  (at least I think it's interesting) Recently reading Benjamin Franklin's autobiography, I remembered that I had bound in one volume a copy of his works that include writings from Boston and London (1722-1726), Philadelphia (1726-1757), London (1757-1775), Paris (1776-1785), Philadelphia (1785-1790), Poor Richards Almanac (1733-1758) and of course, The Autobiography. Link Source As I thumbed through the volume I discovered a great disparity of difference between the Barnes and Noble version I was reading and The Library Of America publication I now held in my hands. With no comment from the editors or publishers, I found large and inexplicable omissions in the B & N text. I was disappointed. Performing some line-by-line and page-by-page comparisons, I noticed the language was lightly softened for the modern reader, but could not shake the disappointment of feeling deceived by the publisher making such changes without commentary. As ...

80 days is a long time for a 20-year-old to be on a ship, especially in 1728. Few actually “went along for the ride” as mere passengers on a vessel. There was an expectation that each person accomplish a measure of work while on board at the very least; regardless, there remains plenty of time for a young man to think. This is what Benjamin Franklin did on his return trip to Philadelphia from London--he thought. A common practice of Franklin’s time was for a man to construct a set of resolutions. The young Franklin came away from this return voyage with a short list of traits that ultimately became a list of virtues that he would practice until the age of 79, noting by his own admission that he often failed in his attempt though remained faithful to the spirit of the endeavor. As an older man he confessed that despite his shortcomings he felt he was far more happier having tried. In other words, he did not achieve the moral perfection expected from the virtues, but he found himsel...

The title of today’s blog sounds like the title of a certain magazine column, doesn’t it? Actually, that’s the whole idea behind the word “journal”--a record of the “dailies,” or, “all in a day’s work.” Since the 14th Century, the word “journal” has been used to describe the inventory of what hath “shone forth” in the day. The “diary” (“dia” meaning “day”) as we know it did not become used until the 16th Century. Why explain all this? For starters, this is a topic “shining forth” on this particular day in my life and I chose to share something I’ve learned. The next 30 days I intend to make record here of what “shines forth” in my day, each day. I am here reminded of the personal challenges explored by Jonathan Edwards in his “ Resolutions ” (started in 1716 and expanded through 1723, as far as we know) and Benjamin Franklin in his “ Thirteen Virtues ” (1726). These two historical giants were personally concerned with and accepted the challenge of living a virtuous life; th...