Rationalist Assignment 4: Thirteen virtues

1. Temperance - Don't do anything to a dull or licentious extent
2. Wholeness - As much as possible try to be undivided in your thoughts and actions
3. Self Control - Be in control of your thoughts and actions
4. Patience - Avoid hastiness in decisions, thoughts, and actions
5. Contentedness - if you cant be satisfied with the bare neccesities you probably wont be any more so with extravagance
6. Modesty - Don't build yourself up higher than a position you are comfortable falling from
7. Steadfastness - Don't be swayed by others opinions unless they have genuinely changed your thinking
8. Resolution. - Continue forward with what you determine to do, however minor, until it is accomplished, or your intention changes
9. Uprightness - In the occasion that you clearly know what is right, do it and don't allow other considerations to cloud your decisions
10. Open mindedness - dont discard ideas simply because they disagree with your own without equal consideration
11. Clarity - Be clear in your thoughts and speech, say what you mean to say
12. Tolerance - Measure your criticism of others with the remembrance of your own faults
13. Discretion - Don't follow any moral with legalism or dogmatically, constantly reconsider

I dont think following these guidelines would neccesarily lead to moral perfection. Then again I dont really think moral perfection can be reached by following anything. Everyone will inevitably have faults and make mistakes. I would probably be a better person if I followed all of these morals, either mine or Franklin's. But there's a considerable gap between what we we think and believe, in theory, and actually applying our beliefs to our lives. The bridge between our innner self, and the outer functioning self; the part which is actually projected into our physical surrounding, cannot always be crossed. There are few absolutes in life, there is no exact science to living rightly; we cannot fully rationalize ourselves because we are not fully rational.