Comments on: The Virtuous Life: Sincerity

By: Booger Brain

Booger Brain — Mon, 03 May 2010 19:38:38 +0000

Or take a look at Wicca… It is the path I have chosen, and the only rule states: An ye harm none, do what ye will.

By: Nathan

Nathan — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:36:30 +0000

Sir, I recommend to your excellent attention the words of the Buddha, a 2,500-year-old proponent of moderate speech. In his instructions on “Right Speech”–one of eight parts of the Noble Eightfold Path–he may have been the first to formulate the three rules of true, kind, and useful. For many examples, see: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-vaca/index.html

Buddhism itself is a practice of moderation (not asceticism as it may often seem), and if you have the time I recommend even a brief study of its basic tenets. You may find in them much food for thought. Just now it occurs there may be a whole treasure of material on “Eastern” ideas of manliness, in addition to those of other cultures.

By: arkanabar t'verrick ilarsadin

arkanabar t'verrick ilarsadin — Sat, 24 May 2008 19:55:04 +0000

Sins of the tongue, mouth, and lips get a lot of play in both the Old and New Testaments, but particularly Proverbs, the Sermon on the Mount, and some of the letters of St. Paul.

By: M. Steve

M. Steve — Sat, 24 May 2008 06:46:12 +0000

I heard a story about an old rabbi once (I don’t remember who it was):

A woman came to her rabbi and said, “Rabbi, I have done a terrible thing. I have said something false about my friend, and now everyone believes it. Her reputation is ruined. I am so sorry; I feel terrible. How can I repair this damage and make the situation right again?”

The rabbi said, “Take a piece of paper, and tear it into little, tiny pieces. When you have done this, throw them into the air on a windy day, and let them scatter. Finally, go around town and retrieve them all. It would be just as impossible to complete this task as it would be to repair the damage you have done.”

Gossip is one of the more serious sins in Judaism, precisely because the damage, once done, usually cannot be undone. Insightful post!

By: Brett McKay

Brett McKay — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:49:37 +0000

@Velvet-That label certainly gets bandied around a lot, but it’s not based on fact.

From the University of Delaware’s website:

“Although Franklin was an inveterate flirt, and he sired an illegitimate child before his 1730 wedding to Deborah Reed Rogers, there is no evidence that he had any affairs during his marriage.”

From straightdope.com:

“the one thing everyone thinks they know about Ben is that he was a rake. Was he? Probably not. A legendary self-publicist, Franklin liked to give the impression he was a great womanizer, but he was in his 70s and troubled by gout while serving as an envoy to France, alleged scene of his most celebrated conquests. While he was charming and popular with the ladies, and it’s not beyond belief that he got physical with a few of them (if women find Jack Nicholson sexy, anything’s possible), there’s little evidence of any Casanova-like proclivities. As a youth he patronized brothels and sired an illegitimate son (who became royal governor of New Jersey–proof of how far being a bastard can get you in this world, or anyway in New Jersey). For what it’s worth, he never formally married his partner of 44 years, Deborah Read, with whom he had two more kids. Still, most scholars think stories about Ben’s romantic exploits and legion of little Franklins are exaggerated.”

Finally, as we have mentioned in a couple of other places, Ben never claimed to have attained moral perfection. He admitted his shortcomings but said he was a far better man for having made the attempt.