Become a Better Man (or Woman)

“Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.”

― Benjamin Franklin 

On this, the first day of the new year, Benjamin Franklin's quote above is most apt.  In a thumbnail, it asks each one of us to keep a clear eye on priorities.  In this case, he admonishes each one of us to be kind and generous and courteous with our neighbors, while eschewing, soundly rejecting whatever vices we may have, from overeating to drinking, from fighting to talking disrespectfully, from mocking others to cruelty to animals.  To be sure, there are many other vices.  Suffice to say that the road to becoming a better man or woman is to foster our softer sides toward each other.  We are interconnected, not only in a spiritual, mystical way, but quite tangibly, our lives are connected to our personal circle: our families, our friends, our colleagues, and the strangers we interact with.  And each one of them is interconnected with his or her own circle.  Thus, if we focus on dealing kindly with our own circles, hopefully that will translate to the community, the village, the city, and ultimately the world. 

So should our resolution be.