Are you practicing the virtue of moderation? Here are 5 questions to ask yourself or your Ben Franklin Circle.
Franklin’s definition: “Avoid extremes. Forebear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.”
1. Franklin seems to be calling for emotional and psychological moderation (i.e. avoid resentment). Is it important to control your emotional and psychological states? Why? How can someone learn to control their inner states more effectively?
2. Is it more important to be moderate in how you think and feel, or in what you do and say?
3. Why would Franklin caution specifically against resentment? Why is resentment a problem?
4. What’s the biggest challenge for you when it comes to moderation? Describe something you feel or do in an extreme way that could benefit from some moderation.
5. Should society as a whole practice more moderation? What might be the benefits?