Franklin’s pragmatism

I once saw an anecdote in a magazine. A gentleman took shelter from the rain in a Pennsylvania tavern. He chatted with a stranger at the next table and found that the other person knew everything about crop cultivation and estate management. The gentleman guessed that the other party was a farmer. Later, when we talked about trade, this person also analyzed taxes, accounts, and marketing very clearly, like an experienced businessman. When he heard the stranger talk about literature with great eloquence, he suspected that the other person was a writer or a monk.

In the end, I couldn't resist my curiosity and asked the other person's identity, only to find out that this person was actually the nationally famous Benjamin Franklin.

The man printed on the $100

Benjamin Franklin has countless labels. He was a politician, physicist, printer and publisher, author and diplomat. He participated in drafting the Declaration of Independence and conducted the earliest lightning experiment. He "obtained thunder and lightning from the sky and civil rights from the tyrant." A poor boy with no background eventually transformed into the founding father of the United States and won people's love and respect. His face was printed on the $100 bill.

"Franklin's Autobiography" condenses the history of his struggle and fortune. From being an apprentice in a printing office, to opening his own printing office a few years later, he survived strongly when everyone thought it was a "dead end", and even blossomed everywhere and established many branches; he took over other people's newspapers, and as soon as his newspaper was published The appearance of the magazine was completely different from any previous newspaper in the region, with beautiful fonts and excellent printing. He founded a club and wrote articles to comment on current events. In the end, the club's influence was so far-reaching that it led the masses' thinking and promoted political change.

We can’t help but ask, why do some people do it perfectly no matter what they do, stand out among their peers, and influence the country and even the world?

The King of Children at the Helm

Franklin was born in a blacksmith family. Because he lived by the water, he learned to swim and row at an early age. He wrote: "When I get on a boat with other children, I am usually the one driving it. Especially when encountering difficulties, I do my part. On other occasions, I am usually the king of the children."

This It reminds me of another great man, our leader Mao Zedong, who wrote "Ode to the Frog" when he was 17 years old: "If I don't speak first when spring comes, which insect will dare to speak up?" This natural leadership ability determines their future success. Often acts as a decision-maker and promoter.

In addition, his father's influence on him is also very important. Franklin was the 15th child in his family. Although his father was a blacksmith, "some leading figures would come to visit him from time to time, specifically seeking his opinions on things in the town or the church where he wrote the book, and expressing his judgment and suggestions." He showed great respect. Whenever he could, he always liked to invite some sensible friend or neighbor to his home for dinner and conversation. He always paid attention to eliciting some clever or useful words to enlighten the children's thoughts. The ideological enlightenment has played a good role.

The nature of leadership and the influence of family are Franklin's innate advantages for success, but they are by no means the most important condition. His autobiography also talks about it from various aspects. The improvement of personal abilities often pays more attention to acquired cultivation. and perfection.

1. Thinking is more important than hard work

Franklin was a hard-working man. When he first ran a printing office, someone commented: "That Franklin's diligence is that of his peers. It's beyond our reach: when I left the club and went home, he was still working; his neighbor hadn't gotten up yet, and he was working again."

It is true that diligence is a rare quality, but. It is not enough to be hard-working and diligent in action. The reason why Franklin was able to achieve a series of breakthroughs in all walks of life was because he was more diligent in thinking than most people in the world.

1. Thoughts on methods

When Franklin was 16 years old, he wrote a series of articles and published them in the "New England Journal", which were praised by people at the time, but his Writing skills are not something you are born with, you develop them through practice.

Unlike most people who just stop at reading or copying golden sentences, he selects a few articles from his favorite newspaper "The Spectator" every week, writes the gist of each sentence, and puts it aside first. For a few days, he expressed each gist in detail in his own language. When this was not enough, he compared what he had written with the original text, and discovered that his vocabulary was poor. This forced him to read a lot and search for vocabulary. Over time, he He found that his rewriting sometimes even surpassed the original text.

In contrast, many people who claim to be diligent hold books and materials and study hard every day, but never pay attention to methods. This is actually a kind of ideological laziness.

I once saw a cartoon where the door to success is wide open, but the arrow representing hard work is shot at the high wall on the side. Therefore, no matter how powerful the arrow is, it cannot break through the iron wall. Reach the finish line. It's like many people, although they have the drive to study hard, they never stop to think and can't find the right direction. In the end, all their hard work is in vain.

2. Thinking about right and wrong

From "The Autobiography of Franklin" we can see that religious culture profoundly affects the lives of American citizens. For example, the Quaker principles are: No war is legal. Therefore, when the government launches a defensive war, many members would rather resign from parliamentary office than violate the doctrine.

Franklin was once the same, "My parents left a religious impression on me very early and led me to spend my childhood religiously on a path that did not conform to the Church of England." However, due to After reading extensively, the 15-year-old Franklin became suspicious of religious views. After being exposed to some books against deism, he found that some of the refuted deist views were much stronger than the arguments against it, so he became A complete deist.

This story is fun and thought-provoking.

Most people are easily led by the author when reading, but the 15-year-old Franklin can already think critically and clearly judge right from wrong. This enabled him to always see the multi-faceted nature of things objectively and tolerantly accept different viewpoints in his future dealings with the world.

Professor Dai Jianye of Central China Normal University said that everyone has the potential to transcend themselves, and the first level of transcendence is to break through some of the one-sided perceptions that the environment and family have given us.

This sentence may seem simple, but in fact most people have never gotten rid of the misconceptions that have been integrated into their blood during their entire lives. This is why we can see so many extremists on the current Internet. They are extremely violent and run rampant, but in fact they have no opinion or position and follow what others say.

2. Action is more important than practicality

The first time I read "The Autobiography of Franklin", I wanted to understand how this generalist managed time. The owner of a printing office published numerous articles, taught himself French, Italian, Spanish and Latin, and later became involved in official duties. He actually made great contributions to the experiments and observations of electricity. It can be seen from the book that his actions reveal a kind of pragmatic shrewdness.

1. Be clear-headed and control your actions

I remember watching a dating show before. When the man introduced himself, he said that he likes to make plans and goals and will strictly follow the plan every week. Come live. As soon as these words came out, the female guests in the audience turned off their lights one after another. In this age of freewheeling, making and implementing personal plans may seem rigid and monotonous.

But I especially like the slogan of a sports software "keep": Self-discipline makes me free. Only those who can control their own time can control their own life.

In order to improve personal morality and standardize travel activities, Franklin established a unique self-examination schedule, wrote down the goals he hoped to achieve and a twenty-four-hour activity plan, and implemented it conscientiously. Living with self-discipline and resisting temptation gave him more time to study, read, and socialize.

Looking at the current situation, the public is addicted to short videos on mobile phones and cannot help themselves. They waste a lot of time and live in a haze every day. We should really reflect on it.

2. Make progress in the group

What should I do if I really can’t exercise self-discipline? You can use heteronomy, and here I have to mention the *** chart meeting organized by Franklin.

Before he opened a printing press, he organized the elites he knew into a club and named it the "*** Picture Club". They agreed to meet every week and each member would take turns to propose a topic or idea. A number of issues related to morality, politics or natural science are discussed together, and a self-written paper is submitted for reading every three months. This organization has lasted for more than 20 years, and Franklin's eloquence and sensitivity to politics and people's livelihood should have benefited from this.

Finding groups with the same interests not only forces you to think and learn, but also allows you to share and obtain more different ideas and expand your horizons.

Nowadays, in the ever-changing information age, people can establish more convenient and broader communication channels through the Internet, and find a group that matches their interests and hobbies, which may help us open the door to a new world.

3. Use actions to build your personal brand

Only by letting the public see your efforts and creating a positive image can you win more opportunities.

After Franklin opened a printing office and a newspaper office, he also opened a stationery store. He would often push the paper he bought from the store through the streets and alleys on a trolley and deliver it to his home. As a result, people thought that he was a diligent and developed young man. This move was a bit of a show, but he did gain more supply and marketing opportunities from merchants.

You must not only do your job well in a down-to-earth manner, but also know how to market yourself, carry forward and show your own advantages, and obtain more compound interest. This is a smart and shrewd survival rule.

3. All knowledge in the world is knowledge

During the Revolutionary War, Franklin wrote a notice soliciting horses and vehicles from the people. He listed various possible situations that may arise during the leasing process. Special circumstances should be explained in detail to avoid unnecessary trouble in the future. Some people say that the second half of "Franklin's Autobiography" is too trivial, but I think it's the small things that make the big things happen. These small things are enough to show his comprehensiveness and foresight in looking at issues.

The great men in our impression seem to worry about the rise and fall of the world and the country's big plans all day long. The ancients often said: "Those who care about the world do not pay attention to trivial matters." Franklin was the complete opposite. From paving roads, cleaning up garbage, setting up street lights, firefighting, and night patrols to running offices, libraries, schools, hospitals, and establishing militia defense systems, he paid attention to all aspects of life.

Yi Zhongtian mentioned in "Appreciation of the Three Kingdoms" that Cao Cao, a great hero of a generation, held the emperor hostage to command the princes, how wise and domineering he was. However, what Cao Cao explained to his descendants, wives and concubines before his death was not about world affairs. Instead, he talked about a lot of trivial matters, such as what to do with the candles and utensils left after the funeral, which was surprising.

But it is precisely because we care about the little things around us and master the most specific matters that we can look at the problem more comprehensively. "Think what ordinary people cannot think, and achieve what ordinary people cannot achieve."

I am a person who is not good at observing the things around me. Since I was a child, I have "not heard anything outside the window and only read the books of sages." As a result, I am often unsure of the situation at work and do things without caring about the end. . Therefore, we need to extend our senses more, pay attention to the big and small things happening around us and in the country, and establish a connection with the world.

4. The mastery of human relations is the article

Franklin encountered many difficulties and dangers in his life, but he was able to turn them into danger in the end. In addition to his personal alertness and intelligence, he could not do without many friends. Tips and help. In his daily interactions, he is very modest and cautious, and deliberately avoids arguing with others. He believes that being argumentative is a bad habit, which will lead to disgust and even hostility where friendship could have been established.

When he was serving as Parliamentary Secretary, a gentleman of extraordinary ability wrote a long speech publicly opposing him. In order to reverse this situation, Franklin thought of a way. Hearing that the man had a rare book in his home, he wrote a note asking to borrow it. He returned the book a week later and attached a note expressing his strong gratitude. When the two met again in Parliament, the other party took the initiative to chat with him, and eventually they even became sworn friends.

He quoted a sentence in the book: "Whoever shows kindness to you once will definitely show kindness to you twice, and his willingness will be unmatched by the person who has received the kindness from you." On the surface. Although he owed the other party a favor, he actually turned his enemies into friends without begging for mercy, which shows that Franklin's emotional intelligence is very high.

Young people who have just entered society are often bookish and disdainful of learning the ways of the world.

But being empathetic does not mean being flattery. Only by knowing how to respect other people's feelings can you gain more friends.

Diligence in thinking, dedication in action, and maintaining insight and clarity in life enabled Franklin to see problems more deeply and comprehensively, and to deal with various complex situations with ease. We must also cultivate ourselves to be such wise men, think, practice, and reflect from time to time. This is the secret to completing things perfectly.