The Enchiridion by Epictetus translated by William Abbot Oldfather (1928) #33
Bonus:
Summary: Ben Franklin is an American Epictetus
Commentary:
33. This one is a large, and not entirely related, collection.
1. Decide what kind of person you want to be and stick to it.
2. Don't talk too much. (Almost any is too much.)
3. "Small minds discuss people; average minds discuss events; great minds discuss ideas."
4. Don't laugh too much/loud.
5. Don't take oaths.
6. Don't go to basic entertainment. If you do, make sure it doesn't rub off on you.
7. Be thrifty in ALL things. (Food, drink, possessions, slaves, clothes.)
8. Don't be a whore, but also don't boast about not being a whore.
9. When someone gossips about you be pithy instead of offended.
10. Don't be obnoxious at public shows. Don't give them any reasons to grease the poles.
11. If you go to a reading, be respectable.
12. Don't be a fanboy when you meet important people, but always do your duty when you need to work with them.
13. Don't be boastful.
14. Don't be a clown or swear. Scold (or at least frown at) people who do.
This is a weird one. First off, the length. It's something like 10% of the entire Enchiridion. It's sort of themed together about how to present yourself in public, but even then it's a mix of both dos and do nots in no particular order.
I can't find any confirmation that says Ben Franklin read the Enchiridion, but the influence seems pretty obvious. The virtues closely mirror several of the points.
Temperance: 7
Silence: Most of them
Resolution: 5
Frugality: 7
Industry: Several of them, especially 7
Sincerity: Several of them, especially 14
Moderation: 7
Cleanliness: 6
Tranquility: 9
Chasity: 7
Really, 7 is kind of a stand in for the whole thing.
As far as advice goes, two things stand out to me here. First, there's a lot of dismissal of base/common entertainment. I think there's line here. On the one hand, I wouldn't want to go to a dog fight or something. But, I don't think I'm a worse person if I take 15 minutes to read a crappy comic book or whatever some days. Intentionality in media consumption is a big part of this project. I want to read better stuff (that's why I shifted this blog back to T5FSOB instead of rambling about DooM so much) and I do think that that helps me be a better person. I try, when I get stuck refeshing reddit for the 12th time or watching my 5th crappy Youtube video in a row, to go and read a bit of Fruits of Solitude or something instead. But I don't think you only need to consume the top 10% or whatever of all media. DooM probably won't make me a better person, but I do think that sometimes you just need to have some fun. I can play it when I'm tired and just want to plop down on the couch for a while. If I tried to play Chess or some other "serious" game I'd just suck at it and have to try not to get frustrated. A good opportunity to practice stoicism, but hardly helpful. Don't wallow in the slop, but a little media junk food is okay from time to time. I think most media, if you look at it the right way, still has something to teach us. It might be teaching you what to avoid (don't write like Stephanie Meyer or whatever) but there's still an opportunity for introspection and learning there.
The other is that, apparently vulgarity is so bad it's the one thing you're allowed to criticize/make a nasty face at. I see some translations that render it as "vicious talk" which I think makes a little more sense. If someone makes a gross joke, you don't need to get bent out of shape about it. If someone is threatening/slandering someone, you should probably call them out.
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