Even Franklin didn't do it all the time ...

Detours are not permanent. Benjamin Franklin, in his teens and 20s, developed theories of improving himself. I’m focusing on one of them here now in my own life.

But I went on vacation. And I resolved to let it go. And I’m going to start it up again in the next few days. A fresh new week, a fresh new page of a new virtue to focus on! It’ll be good.

And Franklin went on vacation. He used the virtue system when he felt he needed it, and it went on hiatus for years when he was busy and focused on growth or extra responsibilities.

So do we all.

So, today, when my virtue chart lies unused after a long stretch where I could have read more Franklin, written about more Franklin, and checked boxes … well, I didn’t.

And that’s OK.

I’ll start it again, if it was helpful. Or I’ll start it again, because I’m hopeful. Or I’ll start it again, because I miss it.

All that to say, I’ll be back here very soon (in the next week or so) writing more from The Art of Virtue.

See you in a little bit.

P.S. You can read this book online, but I got my hands on an Interlibrary Loan copy: The Religion of Benjamin Franklin by James Madison Stifler. I am intrigued by Franklin’s commonsense-level wisdom and his practical yet practically inspired take on religion. It’s a nice counter-balance to Tolstoy’s practical yet mystical take. Anyway … blah blah blah. I’ll let you know.

P.P.S. Franklin writes, in response to folks asking about two pamphlets he wrote in his youth—one arguing that everything is ordained and therefore prayer is useless, and another arguing that prayer shows up all the time and, therefore, all things must not be ordained—that “the great uncertainty I found in metaphysical reasonings disgusted me, and I quiotted that kind of reading and study …”