As historians verify, Benjamin Franklin was a celebrated genius. Even as a young man, he grasped that he was quicker of mind and more lucid of pen than almost everyone he met. . .and he never hesitated to use his intellect to improve the world – not because doing good was his particular mission, but because he was passionately driven by curiosity and remarkably gifted with an eye for the laws of nature.In time, he applied his scientific style of reasoning, which was experimental and pragmatic, not just to nature but also to public affairs.
Franklin’s ensuing achievements as a writer, statesman, scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, philanthropist, diplomat, business strategist, political thinker, and Founding Father are too many and too immense to discuss here, but we will bring to light Franklin’s worldview, the very energy that propelled his incredibly rich and productive life. For this task, we go straight to Franklin’s earliest memories.
In the first memory, a pocketful of unearned money, coupled with the fascination of another boy’s whistle, compel Franklin to negotiate a poor man’s trade. Franklin naively gives everything he has for the pleasure of instant ownership, thereby exchanging future [buying] power for short-lived gratification. Even so, the humiliation and self-recrimination he soon suffers awards Franklin a lifelong lesson: Never pay too much for the whistle. . .a maxim lost on many a brilliant person throughout history, including Bill Clinton and others who have paid too much for a fleeting indulgence.
The difference between Franklin and so many others is that by way of his mistake, Franklin becomes empowered. Realizing that man’s desire for pleasure overtakes reason, Franklin vows to observe the foolishness of others who “pay too much for the whistle” and to find himself never again mirrored by such a crushing regret.
In the second memory, Franklin is charmed not by wind blown through a whistle but by wind blown across the pond. Observing an opportunity to join forces with nature, Franklin aligns himself with the breath of life and is carried across the pond with no fatigue and the greatest of pleasure, yet a second real life lesson he will forever use.
Franklin’s single expense is time spent convincing another lad to take his (Franklin's) belongings around to the other side of the pond, a harmless exploit easily accomplished by one already skilled in identifying those most susceptible to persuasion. In consorting with nature all around, Franklin gives himself a gratifying experience. He observes; acts quickly; and stealthily places himself in concert with the wind.
And throughout his life, Franklin continues to find himself in concert with the wind. With wit and wisdom, he naturally pushes the wheel of development forward. In so many ways, he is the right man at the right time. America was herself a force of nature and Franklin well-equipped, both intellectually and personally, to ride the tide of history.
Of special note is that Franklin cared little for the why of nature’s laws; he was all about the what and the how. He said, “[It is not] much importance to us to know the manner in which nature executes her laws; it is enough if we know the laws themselves. It is of real use to know that china left in the air unsupported will fall and break; but how it comes to fall and why it breaks are matters of speculation. It is a pleasure indeed to know them, but we can preserve our china without it.”
By partnering with the laws of nature as they apply both to the environment and to all of humankind, Benjamin Franklin made progress look easy.
NOTE: What follows is a relatively lengthy but engaging video presentation featuring Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. Enjoy when you have the time!
