On Frugality and Industry - 10 January 2018
             ---------------------------------------------

I've been reading "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin",  and  it  is
quite  a  good  book so far.  Franklin initially wrote his biography for
his son in the hopes that he might have gleamed  some  wisdom  and  life
experience from his father, but I feel that there is something there for
me to learn as well. In the middle of his book Franklin places a list of
virtues  which  he  had  developed and lived his life by and they are as
follows:

    THE FRANKLONIAN VIRTUES
    -----------------------

    TEMPERANCE      Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.

    SILENCE         Speak not but what may benifit others  or  yourself;
                    avoid trifling conversation.

    ORDER           Let all your things have their places; let each part
                    of your business have its time.

    RESOLUTION      Resolve to perform what you ought;  perform  without
                    fail what you resolve.

    FRUGALITY       Make  no  expense  but  to  do  good  to  others  or
                    yourself; i.e. waste nothing.

    INDUSTRY        Lose  no  time;  be  always  employ'd  in  something
                    useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.

    SINCERITY       Use no hurtful deceit;  think innocently and justly,
                    and if you speak, speak accordingly.

    JUSTICE         Wrong  none  by  doing  injuries,  or  omitting  the
                    benifits that are your duty.

    MODERATION      Avoid  extreams;  forbear resenting injuries so much
                    as you think they deserve.

    CLENLINESS      Tolerate  no  uncleanliness  in  body,  cloaths,  or
                    habitation.

    TRANQUILLITY    Be not disturbed at trifles,  or at accidents common
                    or unavoidable.

    CHASTITY        Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never
                    to  dulness,  weakness,  or  injury  of  your own or
                    another's peace or reputation.

    HUMILITY        Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

I think that these are a well chosen list of virtues, but there  were  a
few  virtues  that  peaked  my  interest, namely industry and frugality.
After reading through the biography, it became apparent that the leading
causes of Franklin's success was his adherance to these principles.

Even though these ideas were set forth nearly three hundred years ago, I
beleive they are still 100% applicable to modern  life.  I'm  already  a
very  frugal  person,  I try to save as much money as possible and fight
the daily temptations to go and buy a new computer that I don't need  or
a new video game that I wouldn't have the time to play.

I  am  far from industrious however, as I struggle to keep my self doing
things that are important, like studying or  practicing  my  programming
skills. They say that the average american spends 6 hours a day watching
television,  and  although  I  take  pride  for  rarely   watching   any
television,  I  spend  a compareable amount of time watching youtube and
browsing aimlessly though the web. Boy do  I  hate  the  idea  of  being
average...

Anyways,  frugality  and industry go hand in hand, and if I'm ever going
to achieve my dream of becoming a professional programmer, then I better
start dedicating myself to these values.

--Auzymoto