Liberty Bell

If you want the list of virtues, I posted them a few days ago.

Order

Order is one of Benjamin Franklin’s thirteen virtues. Benjamin Franklin described Order as, “Let all your things have their place. Let each part of your business have it’s time.” I believe Order is the most important of Franklin’s virtues.

Order is a crucial aspect of how we live our lives. Some people are known for being ‘orderly.’ This usually involves schedules, or neat homes where everything can be found – but Order isn’t limited by that. Franklin’s Order reaches into the lives of even the most disorganized on the planet. Even animals understand, or follow unknowingly, a kind of order.

“Let all your things have their place.” This kind of order governs all of life. Creatures recognize there is “a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” This includes basic habits such as eating and sleeping. Without this ingrained sense of order, life would fall apart.

Still, Franklin wouldn’t have put Order on his list if he felt humans had a perfect handle on life. Although humans have a sense of order, there is room for improvement. Orderly people are generally able to complete more in less time. Order helps eliminate problems with procrastination, being late, loosing things, and unbalanced activities.

If the paper turns out, I might post it.

1. TEMPERANCE. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
2. SILENCE. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
3. ORDER. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
4. RESOLUTION. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
5. FRUGALITY. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
6. INDUSTRY. Lose no time; be always employ’d in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
7. SINCERITY. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
8. JUSTICE. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
9. MODERATION. Avoid extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. CLEANLINESS. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.
11.TRANQUILLITY. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
12. CHASTITY. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dulness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.
13. HUMILITY. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

It’s interesting to note why Franklin lists the virtues in the order he does. Quote from The Autobiography and Other Writings by Benjamin Franklin:

My intention being to acquire the habitude of all these virtues, I judg’d it would be well not to distract my attention by attempting the whole at once, but to fix it on one of them at a time; and, when I should be master of that, then to proceed to another, and so on, till I should have gone thro’ the thirteen; and, as the previous acquisition of some might facilitate the acquisition of certain others, I arrang’d them with that view, as they stand above. Temperance first, as it tends to procure that coolness and clearness of head, which is so necessary where constant vigilance was to be kept up, and guard maintained against the unremitting attraction of ancient habits, and the force of perpetual temptations. This being acquir’d and establish’d, Silence would be more easy; and my desire being to gain knowledge at the same time that I improv’d in virtue, and considering that in conversation it was obtain’d rather by the use of the ears than of the tongue, and therefore wishing to break a habit I was getting into of prattling, punning, and joking, which only made me acceptable to trifling company, I gave Silence the second place. This and the next, Order, I expected would allow me more time for attending to my project and my studies. Resolution, once become habitual, would keep me firm in my endeavors to obtain all the subsequent virtues; Frugality and Industry freeing me from my remaining debt, and producing affluence and independence, would make more easy the practice of Sincerity and Justice, etc., etc.