#40 Read 10 of the following books (3/10): the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

I finished listening to the audio recording of the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin this month!  Some sections of the book were quite dull.  Not gonna lie.  He gives the details of so many proceedings and meetings and business stuff that I don't much care about.  There also are a few parts that are fascinating.

I shall mention two:
1. He decided upon 13 virtues to develop (well, 12, but then one of his friends said he should develop humility, and he decided to add it, even though he wasn't completely committed to it and never quite achieved it).  He would focus on one virtue for a week at a time, and write down all his "infractions" against said virtue.  Once he was perfect at it, he would add another.

2. Since he never really developed humility, he decided to develop something akin to it so as to improve his social interactions with people.  Instead of being argumentative, he would stay silent when people voiced an opinion that he knew to be incorrect.  Instead of asserting himself and his knowledge, he adopted such phrases as, "it appears to me," "I am currently of the opinion," "it seems," etc. so that anything he said appeared to be an opinion-in-progress rather than a staunch position.  He said that this change in his manner of speaking greatly aided his relationships.

I admire the first, and I am intrigued by the second.  However, I don't anticipate adopting either at the moment.  I find that I am brought down by focusing on my weaknesses, so the first doesn't feel good to me.  As for the second, I usually phrase my opinions as if they are written in pencil if they are, and I only use certain speech for things I am really certain of...so I don't think it much applies to me.  I'm not an argumentative person.  In fact, I quite loathe conflict.  I don't think I have much of the same difficulties (or strengths) of Benjamin Franklin, so although I don't think I'll adopt his practices, I admire them.  I admire his thought.  I admire how much he strove to be a man of character.  I admire his purposefulness and drive.

I am glad to have read this book and gotten to know him better.  It's especially cool that it's his own words...it really helps you get a feel for him.  Good man.

Just can't believe he suggested a turkey for our national bird...

Addendum
I just remembered an insight from Ben Franklin that I do like and want to adopt (in fact, I shared it with my dad today, which jogged my memory).  He said that he would never seek an office (e.g. a public office), he would never turn one down, and he would never ask to be released from it.  Franklin was asked to serve in various local offices, as you may imagine.  In his retirement, he wanted to use the time to experiment with electricity, but people kept recommending him for office.  He never turned one down.  I think it's an awesome philosophy to live by.