Dr. Benjamin Franklin (04/22/2006)

Post date: Jan 22, 2012 4:55:12 AM

Dr. Benjamin Franklin--An Enlightened Divine Wisdom and Interview Series

Written by Dr. Trudy Hu, 04/22/2006

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 as the youngest son (total 11 children) of Josiah and Abiah Franklin. Benjamin Franklin was the youngest child of the four Franklin generations and his father, Josiah Franklin, was the youngest child of his generation.

During his 84-year-long life, Benjamin Franklin was a charming, diverse, and lovable individual in human history. Dr. Benjamin Franklin was a writer, entrepreneur, public servant, independent thinker, scientist, engineer, statesman, and a wonderful American Idol. As a journey man, his life was listed in the following hall of fame.

11-year-old intelligent writer (His pen name was Mrs. Silence Do-good.)

17-year-old run away spunky boy

21-year-old artisan

25-year-old public citizen

38-year-old scientist and inventor

43-year-old statesman

65-year-old rebel

69-year-old founding father

70-year-old mentor

72-year-old diplomat and peacemaker

79-year-old sage

Dr. Benjamin Franklin has been a divine member in Heaven since 1790. He has overseen the universe for 216 years and is extremely busy with the current universal affairs. It is our privilege to have a 10-minute interview with Dr. Benjamin Franklin through his divine campaign manager. The following is just an excerpt of the lengthy record.

TH (Interviewer, Trudy Hu) BF (Benjamin Franklin)

TH: Dr. Benjamin Franklin, would you please share your wisdom with the current engineers' career future on outsourcing issues?

BF: I was an apprentice under my brother, James, when I was 11 years old. Before I was "fired" like "Trump" does on your TV show, I "outsourced" myself from Boston to Philadelphia.

TH: Why did you choose "outsourcing", a tough lifestyle, by yourself as a young lad?

BF: It was hard to be an apprentice in my era than a legal citizen or an illegal immigrant in the 21st Century. As an apprentice under my brother, I had to work for him at least 7 years without pay. I worked long hours and my brother owned the IP (intellectual property), claimed the credits and stock options. "It Was Hard To Be an Apprentice" then has changed to your current tune, "It Is Hard To Be a Pimp."

Later on he failed his promises and wanted me to sign another 9-year contract, I just had to "outsource" myself to survive. During my time, there was no "Meals on the Wheel", "Food Stamps", "housing Vouchers", "No Child Left Behind" grants, etc. It was hard to start any business in your hometown controlled by your family, extended family, or any well-established family. Just like Irish Americans, Italian Americans, African Americans, Jewish Americans, Chinese Americans, Japanese Americans, Vietnamese Americans, Mexican Americans, they all took turn play the game; it is called "Musical Hot Seat" and the outcome is that I am surrounded by colorful saints with different accents in Heaven. Without any computer or internet, it was hard to email anyone who could go to street to do any strike, march, or form any Unions during my era. I was young and I just wanted to work and support myself.

TH: I knew that you ran away from home (Boston) with only a few coins in your pocket. You bought 3 rolls and you gave your bread to a poor mother and her children. You helped a boat owner rowing the boat and you insisted to pay him for the boat ride. As a teenager without anything, what motivated you to do that?

BF: I always believed that, "Industry and frugality are the means of procuring wealth and thereby securing virtue." "To pour forth benefits for the common good is divine."

I spent my money on basic food and the leftover was all on books. When I wanted to start a printing shop in Philadelphia, my father refused giving me any "venture capitals", but he gave me the best investment seed money, "steady industry and prudent parsimony" and "help yourself before asking anyone for help." Wealth always follows industrious people who practice virtues as a religion, no matter where or who. Among all career men and women, engineers are one of a few contemporary professions that still follow my basic principles. But I am afraid that they might be the next target of "Musical Career Hot Chair."

TH: What advice would you give us regarding illegal immigrant issues?

BF: Try to find out why people are singing "Run, run, run as fast as you can, because I am a gingerbread man" and what is luring them to and what is driving them away.

Send some engineers to those places where "gingerbread men" are running away and help those "gingerbread men" to build a better social and political engine like the new places they are running to. Using my principles and my political design may not be a bad idea and I just do not like the popular self-promotion (scheme of Mrs. Noisy Do-nothing, my jealous rivalry.) My marketing skills are based on those of Mrs. Silence Do-good.

Engineers are the b est house builders, scientific and technology builders, and I believe that they need to take a pro-active role to reinvent a social and political system for more suffering souls globally. I see so many sons and daughter of Evil (Mrs. Noisy Do-nothing) walking on earth and so many confused "gingerbread men" running around. They seem to have a whole lot of fun in this New Gaming era. It is time to launch another kind of creative outsourcing trend globally to land rewarding jobs for American engineers.

TH: Dr. Franklin, I know that our time is running out. Would you please give us a quick comparison in America's change and a few instant tools for us to fix?

BF: The definition of my time (THEN) and the definition of 21st Century (NOW.)

THEN: Industry--Hard working

NOW: Industry--More products, Lower cost

THEN: Frugality--The royal road to wealth

NOW: Frugality--Working poor, Mockery, Sign of shame

THEN: Virtues--Tools to discover success and treasures

NOW: No popularity, Out of date, Soon-to-be-outsourced

THEN: Education--Self-improvement, Self-learning

NOW: Education--More Budge, "No Money, No Learning"

THEN: Insurance--Safety net for the poor or unemployed people (women)

NOW: Insurance--Expensive commodity, Potential free money

THEN: Welfare--Fire insurance for the poor

NOW: Welfare--Free Money, Free Food, Noisy Do-nothing's Work-Life Balance

THEN: Taxes--Non-existence

NOW: Taxes--Death and Taxes, Two sure things in the whole Universe

THEN: Garbage--Useless waste, Normally bio-degradable stuffs

NOW: Garbage--Lots of goodies, Some are quite expensive and fancy, Some even look like human figures

THEN: Money--Rewards for good contribution

NOW: Money--Rewards for good cheating

THEN: Science--Observation of Natural Laws, Pioneer Spirit of Enlightenment

NOW: Science--Trademark of geeks, Weirdos, Disposable

THEN: Math--Foundation of Rational Thinking

NOW: Math--"Meth" (methamphetamine), "Mess", or Mass

THEN: Engineers--Sons and daughters of Silence Do-good, Integrity, Honesty, Knowledge, Temperance, Benevolence, Justice, Improvement of human civilization

NOW: Engineers--Critical Turning Point to More Enlightenment or Darkness. Let's spin the Wheel of Fortune.

I need to go now, otherwise, I may be prosecuted and crucified. Pray hard, but "Make it concise, it will save you a lot of time." If you follow my principles and virtues, you shall be blessed abundantly and see my divine face ($100 dollar bill) everyday.

TH: Dr. Benjamin Franklin, American's founding father, who had the innate aversion to aristocratic authority based on egocentric abusive power, oppressive ignorance, and prejudice (roots of jealousy, bigotry, and evil.) American national identity is based on the virtues and values of its middle class which is modeled after the prototype of Dr. Benjamin Franklin's personality and values; that is, intellectual brilliance, scientific observation in nature and mankind, tolerance and humor toward follies, pragmatic commonwealth, benign social system engineering, and graceful jocularity. He never went to an expensive university or paid for any titles, but he started the first university, University of Pennsylvania, and the first public library in Philadelphia. In addition to numerous roles and achievements, he has been an everlasting professor and deist in the Universe and an eternal luminary figure in the entire human history.

I bet that Dr. Benjamin Franklin would say that "just call me BF Freeman" because Franklin stands for "Freeman" when other Englishmen chose Smith, Carpenter (trade) as their last name several centuries ago. We hope to interview Dr. Benjamin Franklin soon, so stay tuned. Thank you so much for spending your precious time with us.

This is Trudy Hu Freewoman, Correspondence in the Universe Press.

Dedication: This article is dedicated to honor my loving father who has nurtured me and helped me all my life. He was the Chief Engineering Officer (CEO), Navy, in Taiwan long time ago. He has passed away in November 2007 and joined my mother who passed away in 1999.

Note: Trudy Hu is a psychologist, a presenter, a speaker, and a writer. She can be reached through her website: http://www.DrTrudy.com.

Professional Comments:

"In fact, the difficulty we find in placing Franklin or in defining him is inseparable from the complexity of his monumental achievements. In the last five years alone he has been the subject of at least four biographies- a gracefully intelligent survey by Walter Isaacson, a forceful and meticulous re-creation of his French years by Stacy Schiff, major scholarly books by H. W. Brands and Edmund S. Morgan, and now is is created "alive" for a crisp chat with the lucky psychologist Trudy Hu! Franklin emerges in all of these reconstructions as a founder of not only American institutions and technologies but of a model of America itself.

Trudy's endeavor to present the importance of Uncle Ben's contributions in form of anecdotes, quotes, and his own voice, permeates through unusual aspects of technological exploration and innovation, and leaves engineers with a feeling of enormous responsibilities and a great seed of inspiration! A very creative article on Ben Franklin that I have come across in the last few years..."

Guruprasad Madhavan

Clinical Science and Engineering Research Center

Department of Bioengineering

Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering & Applied Science

State University of New York

Binghamton, New York