Jefferson has a list of twelve canons which seem discordant.

While this dissonance is a device, ie. get people to pay attention by occasionally throwing a curve ball, it is also a product of trying to write something applicable regardless of the age of both the reader and humanity.

This lament of Placcius is never resolvable. However, it can be ameliorated by having a goal which can developed over a lifetime and against which all decisions can be evaluated. eg. concentrate on building a house, then a home, and then an estate.

To that end, a good goal is not really just one goal; it's a set of goals that are mutually beneficial and help distribute problems over time. ie. we use our big expensive brains to right-size the issues we face while acting to prevent issues from occurring. Just as mountain climbers know that the longer they are on the mountain, the stupider they get; we plan and provide for our future selves.