The Wisdom of the Founders

By Benjamin Franklin, Commentary by Jeffrey Reeves

 

 

A large percentage of Americans during the colonial period were self employed farmers, merchants, craftsmen, tradesman, shopkeepers, and so on. Employees were less common than partners and permanent employees even rarer. Because of that, the following admonitions of Father Abraham address the working class who were also responsible for their own success and livelihood.

Today, the self reliance and independent spirit of those early Americans lives on in the tens of thousands of small businesses that create 90% of America’s jobs and in the drive and commitment of American workers employed by our larger corporations.

The commentary shows that Father Abraham’s words are just as meaningful today as they were then.

Father Abraham speaks:

And again, Keep thy shop, and thy shop will keep thee;

Each of us has a “shop” to keep. Your shop may be an actual shop or it may be a cubicle, or it could be the corner office. It may be the janitor’s closet or the cab of a truck. It may be as the center on a football team or as the fifth grade teacher at St. Cecelia’s Elementary school. Whatever your sphere of influence and responsibility, that’s your “shop.” As long as you take care of your shop you can reliably expect to be able to take care of yourself.

There are, of course, external influences that can wreck your ‘shop’ regardless of how careful you are. That’s always been the case and always will be. When it happens to an American, however, we just find another shop.

And again, if you would have your business done, go; if not, send.
And again, he that by the plough would thrive, Himself must either hold or drive.
And again, the eye of a master will do more work than both his hands.

Self reliance is a hallmark of Americans. Father Abraham recognized this and cautioned his audience that you can’t delegate your personal success. Individual success relies on individual effort; you are the master and your attention is essential to your success. Your mastery may be at the plow or as the head of the team. Success will elude you, however, if you delegate what only you can do; the business will not get done and the field will not get plowed.

And again, want of care does us more damage than want of knowledge.

There are three types of knowledge you must access when it comes to your work and your personal economy: knowing about something that could be done, knowing how to do what could be done, and knowing whether or not to take action. A ‘want of care’ means you didn’t evaluate the ‘whether-or-not’ aspect of knowing.

There’s also a second way to look at this axiom from Father Abraham. We’ve all met people with great intelligence who have achieved only moderate success because they relied on knowhow alone, and other more average folks who met with great success by working diligently. This proves the axiom. Lacking knowledge – not knowhow – is not as much an impediment as is lacking careful attention to both the initial decision and the ensuing action.

Father Abraham is quickly becoming my hero.

Jeffrey Reeves

Bookmark To: