Benjamin Franklin’s Second Act

I read Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography several years ago, and I still think about it.

Franklin retired from his printing press business at 42. By then, he had built a successful company, saved enough to become financially independent, and gained control over his time. Upon making the decision to retire he wrote, “I would rather have it said, ‘He lived usefully,’ than, ‘He died rich.’”

Indeed, many of the accomplishments for which he is best remembered came after he no longer needed to work for money. He used his freedom to conduct scientific experiments, establish civic institutions, serve as a diplomat, and eventually help create a country. Franklin used his freedom to help his society flourish.

One of his inventions, the lightning rod, is especially under-appreciated, and illustrative. At the time, lightning frequently struck the tallest buildings in town, and caused fires. Often this required substantial repairs and rebuilding. Such events were a significant drag on the growth of a town.

With his kite-flying experiment, Franklin established that lightning was a form of electricity, and subsequently invented the lightning rod to help that electricity pass harmlessly around the outside of a building. He saved perhaps thousands of buildings with this invention.

A business associate asked why he wouldn't make a business of installing lightning rods around the country, and his response was basically, "let someone else do it. I've already made plenty of money, and I have more useful projects to focus on." Indeed.

Franklin's list of achievements is too long to list without this turning into a book report, but suffice to say, I think he was one of the most impactful people at the time our country was created. And this is a man who was 70 years old at the signing of the Declaration of Independence. So he had already been "productively retired" for 28 years. Thomas Jefferson, by comparison, was just 33.

It would be fun, I think, to see what Benjamin Franklin would think of the country we have become. Recall that Franklin lived in a world without electricity, or even indoor plumbing. Books were scarce and expensive. Reading after dark required candles, and even that small convenience had to be budgeted carefully.

He would probably understand many of our technological ambitions. Franklin experimented extensively with electricity, so the idea of using it to create light may not have seemed entirely foreign to him. And perhaps he was imaginative enough to appreciate the possibilities of faster transportation and rapid communication.

But what might surprise him most is not that these technologies exist, but how widely available they have become.

Today, most Americans can illuminate an entire home at trivial cost. We expect hot running water, refrigeration, air conditioning and rapid transportation. Vast libraries of books, research and historical records are available within seconds through the internet. If you have a Kindle and a library card, you have abundance that Franklin could only dream of.

That does not mean prosperity is evenly distributed or that financial hardship has disappeared. But by historical standards, the abundance available to the average person is remarkable.

Franklin organized much of his early life trying to access more information, whether books, or obtaining enough illumination to read them by. That this access is as widely available as it is today, is a triumph that he would be proud of.

It is worth noting that we inherited this abundance from generations of people who used their abilities to improve life for others. The best response to that gift, I think, is to pay it forward yet again.

Not everyone is going to invent the lightning rod or help found a country. Living usefully may mean caring for family, mentoring younger people, volunteering, or helping a community function a little better.

That is also a useful way to think about retirement. Financial independence gives us greater control over our time. The next question is what we do with it.

Franklin had his answer: “I would rather have it said, ‘He lived usefully,’ than, ‘He died rich.’”