1626563462 by unknow

Author:unknow
Format: epub

A Guide for

Economic Limitations

“But people like President Roosevelt were rich and privileged!” you might say. “They came from wealthy families and had access to a host of resources and connections. I could never do the things that they’ve done because I’m not rich or well-known. I’m a nobody.”

If you believe that you can’t move forward because you lack economic resources, then I would introduce you to a boy named Ben. Born in 1706, he was the fifteenth child of an impoverished candle and soap maker. Ben attended school for about two years but did not graduate. With no connections other than their own, Ben’s parents sent him to become an apprentice to his brother James, a printer.

Ben worked for James for about five years, learning everything he could about the trade, reading books, and formulating his own thoughts and opinions. After being denied the opportunity to publish his own writings, Ben developed a pen name (Mrs. Silence Dogood) and submitted them anonymously to the newspaper (i.e., to his brother). Surprisingly, James not only enjoyed what “Mrs. Dogood” had written but decided to publish it. Mrs. Dogood’s letters became very popular, filling young Ben with confidence in his own abilities.

At age seventeen, he ran away to Philadelphia. There, broke and homeless, he worked several odd jobs, all of them in the field of printing and publication. With his aim fixed on becoming a master in the publishing world, Benjamin Franklin quickly rose to the top level of society. His success in publishing led him to many other accomplishments, and within his lifetime, this once- impoverished child became the first ambassador of the United States, a man who was as comfortable in the presence of royalty as he was in the presence of merchants and farmers.

The life and writings of this candle-maker’s son help light the way forward. Among his many wise words is this simple yet powerful sentence: “Instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle.”

At any point in his life, Franklin could have “cursed the darkness” and given up. “I’m too poor,” he could have said. “I’m a nobody,” he could have thought. “I don’t have any education, experience, or connections. I can’t do this!” he could have exclaimed.

But instead of cursing the darkness, Franklin lit a candle and continued to move forward—step by step. Countless are the men and women who used what little resources they had to create overwhelming opportunities.

However, I feel that a word of caution should accompany Benjamin Franklin’s story of success: “Money has never made man happy, nor will it,” said he. “There is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has, the more one wants.”

Money, and the want of it, carries as much potential to damn as it does to enable. There are, of course, far more important things than financial gain—things like family and close, healthy relationships.

Furthermore, financial gain is one of the quickest ways to induce the envy of others. Which is probably why Franklin said, “If a man empties his [money] into his head, no one can take it from him.

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