Benjamin Franklin's 13 Virtues: Moderation

"Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve."

--- Benjamin Franklin on Moderation

When I wrote about Temperance, I mentioned that what Ben called Temperance, I would call Moderation.  It's not unusual for words to take on different meanings over time, but beyond that, there are obviously different interpretations among contemporary friends.

Moderation regarding food and drink, of course, would be to avoid over-indulging.  As such, a model of Moderation in terms of diet would be enjoying a delicious Thanksgiving dinner but not stuffing yourself with huge meals and multiple desserts every day.  In drink, it would be to perhaps savor a glass of wine or beer without that leading to worship of the porcelain god or calling in sick for work the next morning.

The short definition Benjamin Franklin used for his Virtue of Moderation indicates he specifically was addresing Moderation of temperament.

That's something we definitely should all evaluate in our own personalities.  Most of us aren't manic depressive, but all of us at one time or another have become so convinced about a proposition and advocate it so emphatically that we can no longer see other sides of the issue.

We certainly should be willing to make a stand for what we believe, but as Ben Franklin wrote, "forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve."  If in the end an opposing view wins out, that's not the end of the world.  Set your sights on the future, hopefully making corrections to better equip yourself to handle the next challenge more formidably.

In other words, you may not be able to completely forget offenses against you --- and in fact you should not unless you want to be run over again by the same bus on a different day --- but remember that shouldn't be the focus of your life.

This is not for the benefit of those who oppose your positions, but for your own peace of mind.

Have you ever seen someone who becomes so intent on seeking revenge that they waste months, years or even their entire life working to get back at those who wronged them?

How much more ahead would they have been to cut the offenders out of their life and carry on to make their own lives as happy as possible?

If you remember the old TV show Dallas, you may recall how Cliff Barnes wanted revenge on the Ewing Family so much that for the most part his character became little more than a bitter loser.  Even after he found success, he could not get over the Ewings.  If you become what you think about, then if you bitterly think about losing all the time, what else would you be considered?  So much the worse when such hateful obsession involves a politician or celebrity you've never met.

If you mentally live in a world of limitations, what economists call a Zero Sum Game --- and if you are blessed to be an American citizen, you should understand here and now that those walls are entirely of your own making --- then subsequently you may naturally believe the only source of compensation would be to simultaneously bring down your "enemies" who "ruined your life."  Better to hope that everyone becomes enlightened and comes to understand reality as best possible in light of their unique experiences.

As with his other Virtues, Benjamin Franklin could not claim personal perfection on the topic of Moderation any more than our Founding Fathers could claim such perfection while crafting a government designed to encompass ideals of the Age of Enlightenment.

Ben would strive to practice Moderation for a week at a time, hoping to form a positive habit, but he harbored a less-than-Cliff Barnes-like obsession of sorts with the Penn Family, whose ancestor William founded Pennsylvania.

Early on, the Penns saw Franklin as a dangerous potential leader of the "mob" against their proprietary interests.  “Mr. Franklin, though a very crafty and subtle Man, I think errs in this, that when he is provoked will go too far, and advance things without a proper foundation."

As a rational man, Franklin could not understand why the Penns could not see that by doing what was best for colonists that it would better their own fate, too. 

While living in England, Benjamin Franklin became friends with Adam Smith, the great economist.  Ben obviously grasped Smith's "invisible hand" economic concept, but he developed something of a blindspot for the Penns, probably because the ancestors of William Penn had not earned their position of prominence through exceptional Industry or Frugality but been born into it.  

Perhaps the biggest issue came down to the fact that under their original charter, the Penns paid no taxes, and presumably this would go on in perpetuity.  Lacking the ability to reap potential taxes made Ben's grand plans for Philadelphia and greater Pennsylvania difficult to fund.

When the Pennsylvania Assembly sought to form a militia, Quakers would not pay taxes to fund any military which because  of their religious conviction to the Commandment "Thou shalt not kill."  The Penns again refused to be taxed, but they subsequently voluntarily donated 5,000 pounds to the cause, which the Assembly accepted.  

William Penn's son and heir Thomas Penn became something of an arch nemesis for Ben Franklin.  

Ben went on to spend many years in England attempting to convince the British government to convert the proprietary colony of Pennsylvania into a royal charter ruled more hands-on by England.  In fact, that might have been against the best interests of the relatively laizzez-faire Pennsylvania which he served, but he felt the Penns did not always treat colonists justly.

Obviously, that campaign against the Penns did not stop Franklin from living a full, very successful life.  With Moderation as an ideal, he did not allow it become an obsession.