Virtues, Goals, Plans and Aspirations

I recently wrote about goal-free living,  and the value of non-attachment to outcomes … and in a subsequent comment, how this might apply to plans.  Shortly after making the original post, I read about Benjamin Franklin’s 13-point "plan" (via BoingBoing), through which he achieved great happiness throughout his 79-year life. He maintained a weekly chart for how well he adhered to the 13 virtues … which suggests [to me] a certain amount of attachment.  This reminds me that I only read halfway through Walter Isaakson’s book, Benjamin Franklin: Am American Life, before it got submerged under other books … including Stephen Shapiro’s book, Goal-Free Living.  I suspect these two books may offer very different perspectives on the topics of setting and achieving goals.

In any event, here is his plan … or goals … or aspirations:

1. Temperance: Eat not to dullness and drink not to elevation.

2. Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling conversation.

3. Order: Let all your things have their places. Let each part of your business have its time.

4. Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve.

5. Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself: i.e. Waste nothing.

6. Industry: Lose no time. Be always employed in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary actions.

7. Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit. Think innocently and justly; and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

8. Justice: Wrong none, by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

9. Moderation: Avoid extremes. Forebear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

10. Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanness in body, clothes or habitation.

11. Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring; Never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.

12. Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

13. Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

[The title of this post is intended as a riff on Schank and Abelson’s book, Scripts, Goals, Plans and Understanding … which was one of the first books I read about artificial intelligence … Franklin’s plan might be a regarded as a recipe for emotional intelligence … which may be something noted in Daniel Goleman’s book on Emotional Intelligence … which is even further down in my book stack.]