The Biggest Firework of the Night by Laasya

“Who is your personal influence?”  

I don’t know, maybe the man who faced many problems alone as a child. 

The man who studied even after stopping formal schooling. 

The man who had a hard time finding a job. 

The man who published many books. 

The man who kept inventing and achieving. 

The man who never gave up, even through the dark. 

That’s right, Benjamin Franklin people! 

“He snatched lightning from the sky and the sceptre from tyrants” was something Robert Jacques Turgot, an admirer, said about Benjamin. 

Imagine being praised for something you never knew you would be the reason for. I think this could happen to all of us if we weren’t afraid to fail. And even if we did, we remembered to get back up. 

Poor Richard’s Almanac: a guide to living. A book of witty sayings, poems, seasonal predictions. A repository of wisdom and philosophy. Personally, I think everyone should carry this book. Even if the book was written in 1934 it still has a purpose, an important purpose.  

“Well done is better than well said” is one of my favorite sayings by Benjamin Franklin. 

We’ve all heard this quote and it happens to be in Poor Richard’s Almanac. His quotes aren’t just “words.” They are art. They take time to create and they take time to understand.  

But there is one saying that really stands out to me: 

“Many people die at twenty-five and aren’t buried until they are seventy-five.” 

I think you should, no matter what you are going through, stand out. Stand out from the crowd. Stand out from your enemies. Stand out from everyone. I for one know that Benjamin franklin was a man who stood out─like the biggest firework of the night on New Year’s Eve.  

For such a successful and wise man, he shouldn’t have had any problems or obstacles blocking his way! you may think. Well, I can assure you it is the total opposite of what you think.  

You might also think the problems weren’t that rough. But suffering from an abusive brother, and though labeled a bright kid at age 10, being forced to stop formal school and having a hard time finding a suitable job . . . all these scars were left invisible. 

Thinking about all the responsibility and pressure that could have ruined Benjamin snapped me back to my sense of self. I realize that whining about the simplest things is not worth the energy you give and the energy you lose.  

Would Benjamin have become the astonishing person we all look up to without dodging all these obstacles? 

I know, people like Benjamin Franklin are quite old compared to us and our generation. But never forget that they were once a kid and a teenager, and to be fair, their life was much tougher than ours is today.  

But age doesn’t matter! 

We need more people like Benjamin. More people who see the world in a different perspective. More people who leave their comfort zone. More people who aren’t afraid to fail─but are afraid of never trying. 

Imagine being frugal, disciplined, social, ambitious, charming, rebellious, determined and persuasive. All these abilities packed together into one human body. In one human brain. One human heart. 

This is magical. 

Even so, did Benjamin get all these qualities naturally at birth? I don’t think it’s possible. But what I do think is possible is that we can think like him, talk like him, act like him. 

Think about how much Benjamin did: create the franklin store, design musical instruments, invent the lightning rod and fight for the declaration of independence.  

We can do anything and everything beyond.