Reflection: Ben's virtues

The definition of Deism varies but with the one I am using for this blog, I strongly think that Ben Franklin's virtues are of the Deism thought process. One of the beliefs or actions of Deists that I have found is that Deists do not actively evangelize the public(Deism: Its). Now I may have had to ask my younger sister what evangelize means but I have never known Ben Franklin to be a person to preach in public. Benjamin Franklin does not even reference God that often in his writings. A Deist is a person who believes that God is the creator but they do not think that he has any involvement in our day to day activities(Deism: Its). They also do not think that a person can communicate with God and some Deist do not even know if God knows that we exist(Deism: Its). I have also read that Deists believe that the only paths towards knowledge are logic and reasoning. In Ben's autobiography that Mr. Langley sent to us it says "This library afforded me the means of improvement by constant study, for which I set apart an hour or two each day, and thus repaired in some degree the loss of the learned education my father once intended for me"(Franklin 143). I think that this quote is important to the ideas of Deists because if the only paths to knowledge are logic and reasoning then what he was doing makes sense. He was not taught correctly at a young age and now he was able to teach himself. He makes it make sense to himself because he was not taught at a young age so why not teach himself since he has the place to study now. One of Ben's virtues was chastity could also be considered a tad religious. Silence also is one of Ben's virtues and this goes with how a Deist may live their life in the fact that they do not actively evangelize the public. He does not talk about business things in public and does not talk about public things when he is conducting business, which I think is a good idea because I do not think that people need to know your personal or work business and I think that you should keep public discussions at work to a minimum so that you can get more work done and be more productive. Benjamin was able to improve his life through his virtues and how he lived his life as well. He did not combine his work with his play and in doing this he could be more productive as well as being a good man to his friends and neighbors. Benjamin also tried to be modern which I also think has a lot to do with Deism. Deists believe more in technology and logic than God. Deists do believe in God but they do not think that he can communicate with us or some of the things that Christians or Jewish people believe. Franklin was able to successfully live his life by his ideals and he was able to not give up on them.

"Deism: Its History, Beliefs and Practices." Religious Tolerance. Web. 26 Oct. 2011.

Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography. Harvard University, 1895. Print.

Journal 14

My average day as Ben's apprentice would be amazing. I would wake up really early, take a bath, get dressed in my olive green colored tights and purple tutu, and go to wake Mr. Franklin and give him his breakfast. I would then go to work with him. I think that to be his apprentice a person would have to be pretty smart and they could not be a person who makes a lot of mistakes. I would then do some small work for him including delivering some documents to other people of great importance. Then I might have to use the rest room because of the long walk that would have to be made around town. I think that Ben's apprentice would learn a lot and become a better person by seeing how he lives and then trying to make their life like his. I would also be looked up to in the apprentice society because of who my teacher is. Ben was one of the most brilliant men in this time and not many people tried to improve their state of living and state of being as much as he did. I also may have to be security for Mr. Franklin. People would always be coming to talk to him and he would need some time to work alone and I would be the person to tell the people to go away and to come back at a later date when Ben was not busy. I would give him so much more time because I would be able to boss people around like that because I am a bigger boy and I would have my guard dog with me at all times too who is actually a sweet heart. I would serve as his assistant as I learned from the best and I would do anything I could to make him a happy and productive guy. I would help him with whatever he needs help with and I would also be learning at the same time.

Right and Wrong

If i were to make up the rules on right and wrong then I think I would make them how they were in cowboy days. Disputes would be solved with duels and the winning man was right. You would be able to rob a bank but if someone shot you in the act of it that would be okay. Punishments would be more sever depending on the infraction. I would noose em up all the time. You would spend time in jail for something small such as cussing. That is something I would enforce. No cussing. A large amount of cussing would lead to branding of the tongue with the symbols DH because I own your tongue. If Ben were to steal Justin's sister and Justin did not like it then he and Justin would duel over her. Who ever wins keeps the girl. You would not be able to kick a horse. You kick a horse? you die. If a woman farts in public? she dies. If Ben cleans his ears in public? he dies. Private things will be kept private while public things will be open for discussion. No Pornography will be tolerated because that is a private thing. If Casey were to itch his butt while in the presence of woman? he dies. My rules would be strict but fair. You cannot say that you did not know it was against the law or you die. It is your civil duty to know the law and abide by it. You cannot enter a donkey in a horse race or you die do to the fact that it would not be fast and therefore not entertaining. That is the purpose of a race. If Morgan were to eat an ice cream upside down between the hours of 8:37 pm and 8:29 pm? she has to carry a cow down the staircase or she dies. If Abigail reads a book between 6:20 am and 6:12 am? she has to pick a horses' booger and eat it with a side of dingleberry.

The Crisis No. 1

I think that Paine wrote this piece of work to explain why the Americans needed to go to war with the British. Paine talks about many of the things the British are doing to them such as "Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right(not only to tax) but "to bind us in all cases whatsoever"; and if being bound in that manner is not slavery, then there is not such a thing as slavery upon earth"(Paine 134). This is Paine's idea of what kind of situation the Americans are in. Paine thinks that they are enslaved by the British because she can tax them and boss them around and they cannot do anything about it(Paine 134). Paine does not necessarily come out and say it, but I think he wants to go to war and fight for their freedom.

"It is surprising to see how rapidly panic will sometimes run through a country"(Paine 135). I think that Paine has wrote this because he knows that America cannot do panic and still expect to win a war against the British. When people panic, they can get scared and lose control and sight on what is important to the mission at hand. The Americans would need to stay focused and agile to win a war against the strongly built British Army and the enemy. I know that this is piece of writing represents the Rationalism period because this piece of writing is more factual. It explains with facts what the Americans must do to win a war against the British instead of being Puritan and writing about God and that everything they do is in the hands of God. Paine uses a reference to God every once in a while though because of how important God was to the lives of people in this time period(Paine 135).

I like this piece of writing because Paine can support what he is saying and the fact that he wants America to go to war with Britain. "Not all the treasure of the world, so far as I believe, could have induced me to support an offensive war, for I think it murder; but if a thief breaks into my house, burns and destroys my property, and kills or threatens to kill me or those that are in it, and to "bind me in all cases whatsoever" to his absolute will, am I to suffer it?"(Paine 136). This statement makes me smile because of how well written and said it is. Paine means that he would not support a war started for no reason, but then he begins to list the things that the British are doing to them that are not right and it is now a justified war. Paine says that his people should not have to suffer and that they should have the freedom to choose what they do with their lives and how they live them(Paine 136). Paine is able to prove his debate and support his argument which makes it Rationalism writing.

Paine, Thomas. "From The Crisis, No. 1" Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.