Benjamin Franklin’s Two Paths to Happiness
There are two ways of being happy: We may either diminish our wants or augment our means — either will do — the result in the same; and it is for each man to decide for himself, and do that which happens to be the easiest. If you are idle or sick or poor, however hard it may be to diminish your wants, it will be harder to augment your means. If you are active and prosperous or young and in good health, it may be easier for you to augment your means than to diminish your wants. But if you are wise, you will do both at the same time, young or old, rich or poor, sick or well; and if you are very wise you will do both in such a way as to augment the general happiness of society (Benjamin Franklin, “On True Happiness,” 1785).
Question: Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States of America, was a diplomat, philosopher, and writer. He is also attributed with coining the aphorism “Remember time is money.” By the way, he is also featured on the $100 bill.
Do you agree with his path of happiness being simultaneously increasing opportunities and reducing desires? Is this possible?
Answer: Otherwise it won’t work. Reducing your desires is not bad, but it can be an escape from difficulties and life. In general, I’m against it. I am for balancing the desired with the possible and moving forward.
Question: My desires should coincide with my capabilities is the surest way?
Answer: Yes.
Question: One way or another, you always say: “The science of Kabbalah says that desires will grow, and you will not escape it.” Will they grow all the time?
Answer: Certainly.
Question: And what are you doing in parallel? Here, the desire grows.
Answer: You balance these desires with your capabilities. As you get older, you slowly become wiser. So, you don’t come out too wildly with those desires.
Question: In fact, you say this: the desire grows, and you say: “I can’t do this.” Is this my wisdom? That is, I will not master this desire.
Answer: Yes, it gets automatically cut off.
Question: And if I live like this in this state, do I come to some kind of balance?
Answer: Yes, I don’t want more than I need.
Question: Isn’t this called retirement or rest?
Answer: So? There is a place for this.
Comment: There is a place somewhere when you are already old.
My Response: I don’t know. I consider myself elderly, and I feel that the time has come when I need to limit myself somehow.
Question: Is what we discuss suitable for older people, or is it ideal for young people with growing desires?
Answer: Young people simply need to position themselves correctly so that desires and opportunities are on the same level.
Question: On the same level, I can afford this, but I can’t afford the other. Is it?
Answer: Yes.
Question: What if there is no balance if I strive for desire?
Answer: Then a person is always in search, in rising—in falling, in rising—in falling.
Question: Is this bad?
Answer: In this case, he does not achieve a balance between what is desired and what is actual.
Question: Should I achieve it?
Answer: Preferably.
Question: The science of Kabbalah says this: man is a desire. What does this mean?
Answer: Desire is the essence of man. And man exists to fulfill his desires.
Comment: By nature, I only want to receive pleasure. Only!
My Response: Yes.
Question: What does it mean to fulfill my desires? I can’t be filled, and I always want to receive.
Answer: Everything you see around you automatically sort and accept what is essential to you and what is not necessary and put them into practice. And so, you move.
Question: What does Kabbalah say? Does it say this is how you should live?
Answer: Kabbalah says that you must understand what your life consists of and what desires consist of. What should you strive for, and what desires should you realize? Put them in front of you. Choose the most important, the most essential of them. Then, you can calm down because there will be no more choices, and you can only work on the desire you want to reach.
Question: What desire should a person ideally strive for?
Answer: Strive for the greatest: to balance with the Creator, that is, to desire what the Creator desires.
Question: What does the Creator want?
Answer: We need to ask Him.
Question: So a person must ask: What do you want? Should I get an answer?
Answer: I should get an answer! Most certainly! Otherwise what is there to live for?
Question: Can’t he go mindlessly? Assume and go like this?
Answer: No.
Question: Could he be following someone?
Answer: No, that is wrong. It is like a little child following a big one.
Question: The answer I receive, where do I get it? How do I understand that this is the answer and not a hoax?
Answer: This is when you achieve peace.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 12/14/23
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