The rest of Ben Franklin’s virtues were practiced this week in honor of Bijan, Rosario, Alexis, & Rocio.
Step 1: Bijan Fazeli is good at practicing Moderation in his life. He does a variety of different tasks which include studying at Geisel, eating, and sleeping. When he eats he refrains from the practice of consuming too much meat. He also never drinks alcohol which just happens to be a good virtue most people should at least sometimes attempt to practice (I’m looking at you, Alcoholics). At the end of the day I aspire to attempt to put my life in the same level of balance as he does.
A breakdown of how I spent my week is provided above. As expected, most of my life is consumed by sleep (1/3), Work (1/3), and other extracurricular activities.
And yet I try to maintain a life in balance, ensuring rest and relaxation are added to the mix. Depending on how I feel this R&R is usually done either with people or alone.
In my everyday endeavors I attempt to balance my personalities so my extroverted and introverted sides are both happy. With the addition of sleep and doing things alone such as reading and meditating, I am able to calm my introverted side down. With very social jobs and very social opportunities to hang out with friends, I am able to express my extroverted side also. As a result I was able to very easily and moderately balance my two personas this week.
In channeling Rosario I was very easily able to tackle the virtues of Chastity & Tranquility. Being that I am single, it was not only imperative I maintain chastity the entire week but I also attempted to prevent myself from having “sinful” thoughts so to speak. I’m actually relatively comfortable with the place I have now in the world given where my life circumstances are headed. At the same time I was able to imitate Rosario’s peaceful nature through being very calm when speaking to others (and almost never raising my voice, even in the face of adversity).
Cleanliness is a moral trait that requires you to look your best and keep things orderly. Alexis was always good at maintaining proper health and form, and I attempted to channel and fix my internal and external appearances this week through proper grooming. Every day I go through the proper steps of showering, shaving, brushing my teeth, and of course CHANGING. On a given work day I would have to change roughly 3 times – into my Fairmont uniform, my student teaching attire (dress shirt, tie, & slacks), and my Anaheim Achieves uniform.
Finally, I attempted to be humble like pie and Rocio. She never really brags about herself and her accomplishments despite balancing a life at EH&S, a sorority, and being in a mock trial. Still she remains popular, very easy to talk to, and a very humble individual. I attempted to be like her by trying to deflect attention off myself both inside and outside of the classroom. After all, no one likes someone that brags too much. Hubris killed Julius Caesar after all. Et Tu Brute?
Next Week: Tiffany, Amy, Annie, & Jenny
