More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 16 205-212 (Of a Good Servant)

More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 16 205-212 (Of a Good Servant)

Bonus: 

RIP Dolly

Summary: William Penn really wants you to work hard for your Master.

Commentary: The Master isn't even God here!

More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 15 198-204 (Of State)

More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 15 198-204 (Of State)

Bonus: 

The most NSFW thing ever posted on this blog.

Summary: Form>Function

Commentary: 

198. I love Service, but not State; One is Useful, the other is Superfluous.

And I already wasted the Libertarian police video.

Actually, I think this one is about "stateliness" like dressing up, not THE STATE.

More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 14 190-197 (Of Jealousy)

 More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 14 190-197 (Of Jealousy)

Bonus: 

I'm thinkin' Lincoln

Summary: Jealousy bad.

Commentary:

192. This Civil Dissension in the Mind, like that of the Body Politick, commits great Disorders, and lays all waste.

And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. Mark 3:25

I think I knew that was from the Bible and not originally Lincoln, but I forgot.

 

More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 13 181-189 (Of the Benefit of Justice)

 More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 13 181-189 (Of the Benefit of Justice)

Bonus: 

This is from The New Yorker, which is surprising.

Summary: Don't scam people!

Commentary: 

181. Justice is a great Support of Society, because an Insurance to all Men of their Property: This violated, there ’s no Security, which throws all into Confusion to recover it. 

Something I find interesting in these readings is how the "right to property" has basically disappeared from discourse in the last 75 years. It's all over the Enlightenment, and you see it occasionally out to the early 1900s, but it peters out after that. I think it's mostly replaced by "freedom from want", which is related (no one can take the stuff you need to live) but doesn't fully align (no one can take your stuff in general, because stuff=work=you).

 

More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 12 173-180 (Of the Mean Notion we Have of God)

 More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 12 173-180 (Of the Mean Notion we Have of God)

Bonus: 

William Penn does not believe in balance

Summary: You can't do enough good to make up for your bad.

Commentary: 

177. Of what Benefit is it to say our Prayers regularly, go to Church, receive the Sacraments, and may be go to Confessions too; ay, Feast the Priest, and give Alms to the Poor, and yet Lye, Swear, Curse, be Drunk, Covetous, Unclean, Proud, Revengeful, Vain and Idle at the same Time?

178. Can one excuse or ballance the other? Or will God think himself well served, where his Law is Violated? Or well used, where there is so much more Shew than Substance?

179. ’T is a most dangerous Error for a Man to think to excuse himself in the Breach of a Moral Duty, by a Formal Performance of Positive Worship; and less when of Human Invention.

I think the answer to this is honestly yes. You can't never make a mistake, but you can try to do good things as much as possible. We all forgive a "good" person who does something bad occasionally. We tend to have less patience for someone who is a continual asshole. 

More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 11 170-173 (Of Formality)

 More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 11 170-173 (Of Formality)

Bonus: 

This stopped working for like a week, worked again last night, and now doesn't again after I updated everything. Ughhhhh

Summary: Don't just be formal for formality's sake.

Commentary: 

170. Form is Good, but not Formality.

171. In the Use of the best of Forms there is too much of that I fear.

Ahhh, Plato!

’T s absolutely necessary, that this Distinction should go along with People in their Devotion; for too many are apter to rest upon What they do, than How they do their Duty.

Zero character contraction.

 

 

 

 

More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 10 155-169 (Of the Rule of Judging)

 More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 10 155-169 (Of the Rule of Judging)

Bonus: 

More stiff than steady

Summary: Ask questions, and be willing to be proved wrong. Change your mind if you are.

Commentary:

155. In all Things Reason should prevail: ’T is quite another Thing to be stiff than steady in an Opinion.

There's a lot of jokes here, but it's also fair advice. 

More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 9 126-154 (Union of Friends, Being Easy in Living, and Man's Inconsiderateness and Partiality)

More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 9 126-154 (Union of Friends, Being Easy in Living, and Man's Inconsiderateness and Partiality)

Bonus: 

Demonbane is a fever dream

Summary: True Friendship can never die, our things own us, you'd be happier if you listened to God.

Commentary: 

128. Death cannot kill, what never dies.

or

137. They narrow their own Freedom and Comforts, that make so much requisite to enjoy them.

Someone tell my wife!

146. It must be therefore a gross Fault to strive so hard for the Pleasure of our Bodies, and be so insensible and careless of the Freedom of our Souls.

I should count how many times this comes up if I ever do a reread. 

 

 

Stop  

 

More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 8 117- 126 (Of Conduct In Speech)

More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 8 117- 126 (Of Conduct In Speech)

Bonus: 

Not allowed!

Summary: Speak plainly and sparingly, but don't be afraid to ask questions.

Commentary: 

118. It is safer to Learn, than teach; and who conceals his Opinion, has nothing to Answer for.

William Penn on school shootings.

121. Beware also of Affectation in Speech; it often wrongs Matter, and ever shows a blind Side.

No anime girls for William Penn. 

 

More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 7 103-116 (Of Praise or Applause)

 More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 7 103-116  (Of Praise or Applause)

Bonus: 

They deserve it

Summary: Don't just do it for the applause.

Commentary: 

104. But if we would Deserve it, we must love Virtue more than That.

115. Be not fond therefore of Praise, but seek Virtue that leads to it. 

Value the thing you're doing more than the applause you get from it is good advice.

More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 6 92-102 (Of Man's Life and Ambition)

 More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 6 92-102  (Of Man's Life and Ambition)

Bonus: 

I wasn't really sure what to put, but this popped up in my feed.

Summary: Do good stuff, and it'll last.

Commentary:

These are short, but they paired nicely. Life opens with:

92. Why is Man less durable than the Works of his Hands, but because This is not the Place of his Rest?

And Ambition follows with:

100. Good Works are a Rock, that will support their Credit; but Ill Ones a Sandy Foundation that Yields to Calamities.

 

 

More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 5 80-91 (Of Envy)

 More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 5 80-91 (Of Envy)

Bonus: 

 

NV

Summary: Be honest in your assessment of things.

Commentary: I'm just giggling about the title of this collection being "More" Fruits of Solitude tonight.  

80. It is the Mark of an ill Nature, to lessen good Actions, and aggravate ill Ones.

Being able to judge actions mostly objectively (as opposed to simply based on who is doing them) is one of the thing people struggle the most with. It's a shame, since it'd probably be one of the most helpful for society. 

 

More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 4 62-79 (Of the Government of Thoughts)

More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 4 62-79 (Of the Government of Thoughts)

Bonus: 

THINK!

Summary: Thinking is hard work.

Commentary:

66. To this also is to be attributed the imperfect Knowledge we have of Things, and the slow Progress we make in attaining to a Better; like the Children of Israel that were forty Years upon their Journey, from Egypt to Canaan, which might have been performed in Less than One.

It's amazing how much easier it is to learn a ton of depth about something once you've got the basics down.

69. Always remember to bound thy Thoughts to the present Occasion.

70. If it be thy Religious Duty, suffer nothing else to Share in them. And if any Civil or Temporal Affair, observe the same Caution, and thou wilt be a whole Man to every Thing, and do twice the Business in the same Time.

Multitasking is bullshit.

 

 

 

 

More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 3 52-62 (The Wise Man)

 More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 52-62 (The Wise Man)

Bonus: 

This was my Scoutmaster's favorite thing to say to smartass teenagers.

Summary: Once again, fuck Nietzsche. 

Commentary:  

52. The Wise Man Governs himself by the Reason of his Case, and because what he does is Best: Best, in a Moral and Prudent, not a Sinister Sense.

This just makes me think of someone coming up with an elaborate evil plan and then going, "Wait, too sinister!" at the last minute.

56. To do Evil, that Good may come of it, is for Bunglers in Politicks, as well as Morals.

We're back on this again.

60. He is never Captious, nor Critical; hates Banter and Jests: He may be Pleasant, but not Light; he never deals but in Substantial Ware, and leaves the rest for the Toy Pates (or Shops) of the World; which are so far from being his Business, that they are not so much as his Diversion.

I will never be a wise man. I can't give up my Banter and Jests.

 

 

 

 

More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 2 14-51 (The World’s Able Man)

More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 2 14-51 (The World’s Able Man)

Bonus: 

 

The Ablest Squad

Summary: Be honest.

Commentary: I liked the shorter entries in Part 1 better. 40ish on one gets excessive.

50. Art thou a Magistrate? Prefer such as have clean Characters where they live, and of Estates to secure a just Discharge of their Trusts; that are under no Temptation to strain Points for a Fortune: For sometimes such may be found, sooner than they are Employed.  

We already went over this! 

More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 1 Intro-13 (Intro and The Right Moralist)

More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn (1718) Part 1 Intro-13 (Intro and The Right Moralist)

Bonus: 

 

Double the large plastic geese!

Summary: But wait, there's more!

Commentary:

3. They think it enough, not to defraud a Man of his Pay, or betray his Friend; but never consider, That the Law forbids the one at his Peril, and that Virtue is seldom the Reason of the other.

This is a bit more selective than part one.

4. But certainly he that Covets, can no more be a Moral Man, than he that Steals; since he does so in his Mind. Nor can he be one that Robs his Neighbor of his Credit, or that craftily undermines him of his Trade or Office.

Apparently resisting temptation isn't good enough anymore.

 

  

Some Fruits of Solitude By William Penn (1682) Part 34 #511-556 (Religion)

 Some Fruits of Solitude By William Penn (1682) Part 34 #511-556 (Religion)

Bonus: 

No Christianity for Metcalfe

Summary: God exists because he exists. Make sure you do religion correctly and learn the right one. Love is good.

Commentary: 

534. If he that is without Bowels, is not a Man; How then can he be a Christian?

No Christianity for you, guy with a colonoscopy bag. 

 

Some Fruits of Solitude By William Penn (1682) Part 33 #473-510 (Religion)

Some Fruits of Solitude By William Penn (1682) Part 33 #473-510 (Religion)

Bonus: 

 

Every once in a while, I link something that's so 00s Internet.

Summary: The best way to serve God is to be a good person. Life is temporary, soul is eternal.

Commentary:

478. God is better served in resisting a Temptation to Evil, than in many formal Prayers.
 

I like how this isn't even active service. It's not "you have to go on 500 missionary trips" or whatever. Just don't be a jackass. If we all started there, it'd be a big improvement.

 

Some Fruits of Solitude By William Penn (1682) Part 32 #453-472 (Religion)

Some Fruits of Solitude By William Penn (1682) Part 32 #453-472 (Religion)

Bonus: 

It will take me one of these amounts of time to finish this.

Summary: Christ=Good 

Commentary: Oh my god this section is like 1/5 of the whole book.

454. Religion is the Fear of God, and its Demonstration on good Works; and Faith is the Root of both; For without Faith we cannot please God, nor can we fear what we do not believe.

Quick, someone who took a formal logic class diagram this for me. (I don't think it works)

455. The Devils also believe and know abundance: But in this is the Difference, their Faith works not by Love, nor their Knowledge by Obedience; and therefore they are never the better for them. And if ours be such, we shall be of their Church, not of Christ's: For as the Head is, so must the Body be.

But what does it work by? Someone call Anton LeVay.

459. That Minister whose Life is not the Model of his Doctrine, is a Babler rather than a Preacher; a Quack rather than a Physician of Value.

Sick burns.

 

 

Some Fruits of Solitude By William Penn (1682) Part 31 #442-452 (Compleat Virtue)

Some Fruits of Solitude By William Penn (1682) Part 31 #442-452 (Compleat Virtue)

Bonus:

This is the vibe

Summary: Try being a good person.

Commentary:  

444. Innocent, is not to be Guilty: But Virtuous is to overcome our evil Inclinations.

William Penn is like, happy metal.

450. 'T is no Sin to be tempted, but to be overcome.

451. What Man in his right Mind, would conspire his own hurt? Men are beside themselves, when they transgress their Convictions.

It is pleasant to be a good person.