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Review Benjamin Franklin's "aphorisms" - focusing on your favorite. Post the aphorism here and then write a one-paragraph paraphrase of the aphorism. Finally, after you paraphrase, explain with your own insights, how this is particularly effective in today's world.
"One today is worth two tomorrows."
ReplyDeleteMy take on this aphorism is that today is more worthwhile than tomorrow because you do not know what it might bring. The present is the most important time because it is what you are living in. While you will almost always have times to do more, what you do now counts. If you mess something up, it will affect tomorrow so you must think carefully about it.
This really does help in today's world when one considers the things people do. People often think rashly about things and end up ruining certain aspects of their future in the process. If people would take the time to think through things they did today, we'd have fewer issues tomorrow. This would help in aspects of everything. We would be able to solve more problems than we would ever be able to consider.
"Keep thy shop and thy shop will keep thee."
ReplyDeleteTo me, this aphorism means that the more hard work you put into something, the more you'll get out of it. It doesn't matter if you own a business, house, or car, but what does matter is the amount of care and input you put forth to each. For instance, if you don't fill you car up with gas, keep it clean, or make sure it's in top running condition, you won't get very far. The same is true referring to this aphorism. The more you do, the more you'll receive.
In my life, I often apply Ben's aphorism without even knowing. During my sports' seasons, I know that the harder I work, the better I'll become. Without practice, I wouldn't be very good. I put my whole self towards bettering myself at anything I do. I like to be at the top instead of at the bottom looking up to where I should be. The same is true for school; studying will get me where I want to go, but procrastinating will get me nowhere. Again, the more I put into something, the more I will gain.
Kristy, I agree with you. If you don't care about something enough to put work into it your not going to make any progress. Like you said, you don't become good at something overnight.
ReplyDelete"Glass, china, and reputation are easily cracked and never well mended."
ReplyDeleteTo me, this aphorism means that somethings, particularly your reputation is very easy to break, but extremely hard to fix. By saying that it is "never well mended" means that sometimes when you ruin or break something it will never be the same as it was when it was in good condition. What I belive Franklin is trying to say is that we need to be careful of actions that could potentially ruin something that could be very difficult to regain.
This relates to the world and to me in a multitude of ways. Trust is one thing to me that is easily cracked but never well mended. If someone breaks my trust I have a very difficult time regaining it. This can also go the reverse way, if you break someones trust it is very hard to earn that trust back. Another topic this applys to in the world today, like Franklin mentioned, is reputation. A persons reputation can be tarnished so quickly, but it is never mended to the state of the clean reputation.
Kristy, I agree with you completely. We cannot expect to rise to the top at anything if we do not work hard at it first.
Alex, I also think it is very important to live in the present moment rather than the future.
Sophie says,
ReplyDeleteSorry, I do not understand why my username is coming up like that.
"Glass, china, and reputation are easily cracked and never well mended."
My interpretation of this aphorism is the idea that reputation, no matter how disputed, is immensely important. The relation between things so breakable like glass and china only emphasizes the fact that a reputation can take years to build up, but can -like many things- be crumbled to pieces in a matter of seconds. One flaw in the make-up of a persons character can shatter everything they ever did to make that character outstanding. Society eems to look heavily upon mistakes. No matter how well a person may be doing, one mistakes, one fault is all they continue to see. That one mistake follows them for the rest of their lives.
It shouldn't be the deciding factor for one's character, but in today's world it is. Reputation means everything.
I can relate to this aphorism especially because I struggle with reputation. Not that I consider myself to have a poor reputation, but that most of the time I care too much about what people think. Over time I've learned that mistakes only enhance growth; experience makes you stronger. If it makes me happy then I should be able to do it, no matter what other people may think about me. It's an ongoing process and a constant battle with myself to stay strong and not dwell on people's opinions, but I think only more time and experience will enhance that ability to see past the demeaning eyes of society.
Alex, I am a firm believer in he fact that speaking now is very important. You never know when you a life or opportunity may be taken away from you, and you didn't take the chance to speak up or do something about it.
Kristy, I agree 100%. Hard work leads to success.
“Tart words make no friends; a spoonful of honey will catch more flies than a gallon of vinegar.”
ReplyDeleteMy interpretation of this aphorism is that if you want to make friends and good relationships throughout your life you need to have polite and kind words. If you say rude things about a person you are like the “vinegar” in the aphorism, you will not gain any friends in speaking to people in an unkind manner. The “honey” can be a sweet person, saying kind things to everyone; friends will “stick” to them as if they are flies stuck to honey, meaning people want to always be around somebody that is nice.
I think many people in today’s world do not think before they say anything, many people can not wait to spread gossip and rumors about others. Unkind words do hurt people, more than one may believe. There are so many problems with bullying, just using words. I feel that if people would think before they speak and really try harder not to offend or say nasty things to each other I believe that the world would be so much better. If people would follow this advice there would not be any lying, bullying, backstabbing, hateful people in the world, and without those people that would be an awesome world.
Kristy I very much agree with you. You only get out, what you put in. If you do not try hard at something you will not get much out of it. So always try your best.
ReplyDeleteAlex- I do think it is very important to understand that what you do now will affect your future. Good or bad I think most people learn form their mistakes and try not to repeat past goof ups in their lives. Live every day to the fullest because you never know when is your last day.
"One today is worth two tomorrows."
ReplyDeleteMy interpretation of this aphorism is to live in the now. While it is very important not to completely live in the future only thinking of what is to come.I also find it important not to dwell on the past, after all it is called the past for a reason. I think that when we live too much for the future we forget to live now. If we wait too long to do something we loose out, then we never know what could have been.
I find that this aphorism related today in many ways. I think that people have become too obsessed with worring about what someone will think of you if you do something you want to do and it seemes weird. Instead of worring what people do think of you, I think you should worry about what you think of yourself when the day is done. I also am a firm believer in being spontaneous. When evry moment of your day is planned out, there is no value in life. When something goes wrong you take it as something that is going to make you stronger. You only get to live on September 15, 2011 once why worry about tomorrow?
I completely agree with Kristy. If your not willing to out the work into something your not worthy of any good results. If you want something bad enough you go and get it youself, if your not willing to how bad do you really want it?
I also agree with both Sophie and Kristen's responses. It is crazy how mush people want to impress others. It is also very true that once one bad thing goes around about you that is all that people ever think of when they think of you, instead of the positve.
"Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead."
ReplyDeleteThe Best way to keep a secret is to not tell anyone. A secret never stay secret. We all have things we don't want others knowing about, but the problems with secrets are that they are like wild fire. If you don't want someone to know about it, than keep it to yourself and tell no one.
This is true even more so with today's society. Everyone has some form of technological insight to the world. Some have texting, calling, e-mail, blogging, Facebook, Twitter, and anythingelse you can think of. Any data put into the internet is there forever. Even when you hit the delete or remove button, there is a backup database and a backup database for that one. It is impossible to ever be rid of something on the internet, so think before you make the choice to post, send, or tweet. What you put out there will be there forever, and can be used against you. Be it by your friends, enemies, and even your school (high school and college).
That's a really good point, Alex. I agree with what you said about the present being the most important and that the choices we make now, greatly influence us in the future. People really don't take their time anymore, and it's a darn shame. With constant access to everything no one seems to really care to stop, stare at the clouds, lie in the grass, and feel the sun soak through your skin.
ReplyDeleteKristen, you made a really good translation of Franklin's aphorism. I'm sure if he were alive and read that, he would just shake his head and say, "I couldn't say it better myself." I agree with what you said about reputations being hard to fix.
"Speak little, do much."
ReplyDeleteI think that this aphorism means that no matter how much we say, our actions will always be more important. Most people will never remember you for what you said during your lifetime, however they may remember you for doing something kind. Most of us remember actions or kind gestures that people have done for us, but do we remember the kind things people say to us? I personally think that kind things people do for me will be remembered for a lot longer than something nice they said.
I think this is really important in today's world. We look at celebrities and people forget about words they said, but they remember the things that they did. Most famous people are not remembered for all of their kind words and nice things that had to say. They are remembered for the bad decisions that they made, or maybe even the good. However, the actions are always remembered.
Kristy, I completely agree with you. It is so true that we only get back how much we put forth, no matter what we are doing in life. If we don't try, we are the only ones to blame for our failures. However, if we put the time and effort into something, most of the time we will be rewarded for it. When we are rewarded is when you feel really good about all of the effort.
ReplyDeleteKristin, I also agree with you. I know people who have broken the trust I had in them. After that happens things just never feel the same. You always think back to the way things use to be. Most things that are broken are never as good as before.
Elizabeth, your interpretation is also very good. Nobody wants a friend who is rude. We all flock to people who are kind, with great personalities. We stay away from the people who are cold and see very unfriendly.
"Glass, china, and reputation are easily cracked and never well mended."
ReplyDeleteMy interpretation of this aphorism is not that no matter how good of a reputation you have, it can easily change if you make poor decisions. I also think he's trying to say that even if you act like a really nice, good person to try and make yourself have a good reputation, if you aren't truly a good person, your reputation will "crack" and people will see the good you. I like that he says that they "are not easily mended" and not that they can't be mended. Sometimes people do change for the better, and although it will take time, they can make a better reputation for themselves and become a better person.
I think this aphorism can relate to today's society in many ways. People tend to be overly concerned with what others think about them. Even people that act like they don't care, do to some extent. I do think that the opinion of others' does matter to an extent when it comes to character, though. I think that people are a lot more careless when it comes to the way they act then they used to be, myself included. I don't think that people really think about the consequences of what they're doing (like posting things on the internet, for example) before they do it until it gets to a point where they do end up having a bad reputation.
Laura, I completely agree with you. People think too much about what has happened in the past and what could happen in the future. Learning from your mistakes and planning ahead for the future are important, but we can't forget to live our lives to the fullest today no matter what other people are going to say.
ReplyDeleteSteph, I really like how you paraphrased this. I find that a lot of people today are all talk and don't really do a lot of the things that they say they will, or claim to have done. You're right, actions are a lot more memorable than words.
Laira said:
ReplyDeleteWhat is a butterfly? A caterpillar dressed.
I choose this one because I interprite this as society tends to judge us soley based on appearance without getting to know our true selves. I think that we shouldn't judge that way but even I tend to do the same to others. We need to get to know the beautifully person inside, without caring about appearances.
Alex, yours reminds me of the song "If today was your last day.". I think we need to live in the present and not the past or the future for that matter. I don't want to live a life with regret.
Kristin, I am on the same page. Trust is a hard thing earned but an easy thing broken.
Sophie's correct. Now everything is decided on reputation, and I wish it wouldn't be. It shouldn't be. I agree with all of you, there isn't really anything to criticize.
Scott R
ReplyDelete"He that lieth with the dogs shall rise up with fleas."
This aphorism tells us that he that lays down with the dogs of society, such as criminals and corrupt people, shall rise up with fleas, or grim reminders of the time spent with such people.
I think that this aphorism can really relate to today's world. It tells us that if we lie down with the dogs of society such as criminals and corrupt government officials and drug dealers and users and the likes of such people, then we shall rise up from laying with them with fleas. These are not fleas that cause dogs to itch like crazy but rather fleas that are constant reminders to us of the mistakes we have made in our lives. By laying with dogs, so to speak, we are only hurting ourselves by damaging our possible futures. We make it harder for us to succeed in life because of those constant reminders that can be anything from physical to emotional pain to something like a criminal record that blocks us from getting hired by a good company.
Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your opinion on that aphorism, but I also disagree.
I agree in that yes, I too believe that most often people are remembered by there actions more so than what they have said. Just as the saying goes "actions speak louder than words."
However I also disagree in that that is not always the case. On rare ocasions some people are remembered just as much for what they said then actually did. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. made an incredible speech about his dream of a country not full of racism against African Americans. He also did anti-racism rallies as well. However I believe he is more remembered for his "I have a dream" speech.
Kristy,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your view on that aphorism 100%. I completely agree that the more you put into something, whatever it may be, the more you will get out of it in return.
This reminds me of my own life. Last year during the summer I did not practice much for the golf season, so when the golf season came around I did not do very well. This year however I put a lot more practice into it and I am doing so much better at golf this year.
Scott, I definitely agree with you. I never thought it that way before, but you definitely have a good point. Some people are remembered for their words. A lot of those people have some really great actions behind them though. However, Martin Luther King, Jr is a great example of words just as loud, if not louder than their actions.
ReplyDelete"Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions"
ReplyDeleteThere may be different interpretations of this aphorism but they all portray the same message. We must not waste our valuable time and efforts. Humans should do what is best with their time and eliminate anything they or others feel as wasteful.
I read through all these aphorisms or catchy tips and this particular one jumped out at me. I did not exactly know but after some contemplating it dawned upon me. It hit me personally because I personally believe that being busy is the best possible thing. If we are busy we gain experiences which make us wiser people. That is especially useful in this day and age when laziness has plagued the human race. We should all have inspiration to go out and do something productive and make something of ourselves. I, personally, hate laziness and lazy people. I feel everyone should have the necessary ambition to not waste time. Time is precious. Unnecessary actions just waste the time and resources of hard working people. We, as homo sapiens need to learn and understand our place as hard working and useful individuals. With this, the human race is sure to thrive and persist.
Dearest Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteI do agree upon that the fact that people do remember actions, whether good or bad. Some say actions speak louder than words but I disagree with that and partially disagree with what you said. If something that someone says affects you deeply then you could possibly never forget. Many people "do not think before they speak". Yes, though, actions do affect people.
Dearest Elizabeth,
I cannot explain how much yours goes to the heart. I can see it so much with other people and kids. They feel superiority by hurtfully teasing others. Plain and simple, it does not. Teasing and bullying hurts people and ruins friendships. As I explained earlier, people need to think before they speak.
Bravo everyone! I am very impressed at your critical thinking skills - how you manage to paraphrase the aphorisms and especially how you relate them to our lives today. Your collaboration with one another is also very kind. I was pleased to see Scott's comment to someone and explaining why he both agreed and disagreed about someone's comment. It's important to critically reason when one is posting to this discussion. We are allowed to disagree as long as we support our position and that is what Scott did. I am very impressed with all of the postings here today - especially your original postings. We will continue to work on the replies to make them more challenging. Nice job!!!!
ReplyDelete“He that lieth down with the dogs shall rise up with fleas.”
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think that Franklin was trying to say be the bigger person. When someone does you wrong don’t hold a grudge or try to get revenge. If you stoop down to their level you’re no better than they are. It might be harder to forgive them, but it is the right thing to do. You are a hypocrite if you try and hurt them back, because you are just doing what you were against in the first place. It is best to forgive and forget. Everyone deserves a second chance.
Today so many people hold grudges and seek payback. More people need to learn to forgive. Vengeance is not always the answer or the best choice. It really has more effect on the people that hurt you if you forgive them rather than try and get back at them. You can’t always fight fire with fire. Forgiveness is the best practice.
Ryan, I agree. Time is valuable.
ReplyDelete"If a man could have half his wishes, he would double in his troubles."
ReplyDeleteI think this means that If a man could have all or half of the things he wants, that would be more than a man could really handle. People think that what they wish for is what they want but in reality, what they want would be too much. Also part of wishing for something is not having it and once you have it it may not be important anymore and may just be more of a hastle.
I think this applies to our society because I feel in general we want so much and can be greedy sometimes but I think if everyone got everthing or even half of what they want it would be too mmuch to deal with and worry about. Also the more you have, the more you have to take care of and be responsible for and all these things would get in the way of what truely matters.
Laira, I completely agree with you. I think we should soley judge people who they are and not what they look like, because people are more alike on the inside then they would think just as the butterflies and caterpillars in your aphorism.
ReplyDeleteSteph, I think your aphorism is so true. I think people dwell too much on what they said or were told, when it's the actions really matter. For example someone can say they're going to try to do something to change the world, but really, it doesn't mean or do anything until they actually do something about it.
ReplyDelete"A small leak will sink a great ship"
ReplyDeleteI think this means that by starting off with a small problem, it can grow to do something catastrophic. Sometimes, when one small negative thing happens, other things that may have not seemed "destructive" may grow on those little negative things, and really hurt a person or something else. This phrase is true with how little white lies can grow bigger. You start off lying once, and then your doing it all of the time. Finally your lying to loved ones, and hurting them in the process. If we can avoid small "leaks" in our lives, then most likely, we will not have to suffer through as much.
Maria I completely agree with you, we need to just be a bigger person and forgive.
Kayla you made a very good point with your aphorism. If we got half our wishes, eventually it would be too much to handle.
Laira, I'll respond to yours now. I believe you are entirely correct. Whether they beg to differ, people are vain. They judge firstly by appearance. Later they may discover that they are wrong but they do always make that initial observation and it sticks with them.
ReplyDeleteMaria, I doubt you could be more correct. I think everyone needs to try to be the bigger person. While I know I don't stick by that, I do try my best. And that was Franklin's main goal, do not achieve perfection but continue to strive for it. You need to be a little mature in a situation and not just shout things. Bringing others to your level does absolutely nothing to help.
Ryan, I agree with your view on how people these days have become very lazy. I also think you make a good point to the fact that lazy people waste the resources of people who are active or hard working. Actually going out and doing something is the best way to gain experience, and being lazy just gives birth to more lazy actions. I think that everybody needs time to relax and sometimes maybe even "take a day off," though there is a fine line between a break and becoming lazy and doing nothing.
ReplyDeleteAbby, I think you have a great idea of what Ben Franklin was trying to say about small things in life turning into bigger things. Little habbits such as telling white lies may seem miniscule at first, though they soon can turn into big problems that hurt you and others. When there is a little problem it needs to be handled so it does not sink your entire ship.