Benjamin Franklin : $b Representative selections, with introduction, bibliograpy, and notesFranklin, Benjamin
General
Benjamin Franklin : $b Representative selections, with introduction, bibliograpy, and notes
Franklin, Benjamin
Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790
All _Pain_ and _Uneasiness_ proceeds at first from and is caus'd by
Somewhat without and distinct from the Mind itself. The Soul must first
be acted upon before it can re-act. In the Beginning of Infancy it is as
if it were not; it is not conscious of its own Existence, till it has
receiv'd the first Sensation of _Pain_; then, and not before, it begins
to feel itself, is rous'd, and put into Action; then it discovers its
Powers and Faculties, and exerts them to expel the Uneasiness. Thus is
the Machine set on work; this is Life. We are first mov'd by _Pain_, and
the whole succeeding Course of our Lives is but one continu'd Series of
Action with a View to be freed from it. As fast as we have excluded one
Uneasiness another appears, otherwise the Motion would cease. If a
continual Weight is not apply'd, the Clock will stop. And as soon as the
Avenues of Uneasiness to the Soul are choak'd up or cut off, we are
dead, we think and act no more.
II. _This Uneasiness, whenever felt, produces_ Desire _to be freed from
it, great in exact proportion to the Uneasiness._
Thus is _Uneasiness_ the first Spring and Cause of all Action; for till
we are uneasy in Rest, we can have no Desire to move, and without Desire
of moving there can be no voluntary Motion. The Experience of every Man
who has observ'd his own Actions will evince the Truth of this; and I
think nothing need be said to prove that the _Desire_ will be equal to
the _Uneasiness_, for the very Thing implies as much: It is not
_Uneasiness_ unless we desire to be freed from it, nor a great
_Uneasiness_ unless the consequent Desire is great.
I might here observe, how necessary a Thing in the Order and Design of
the Universe this _Pain_ or _Uneasiness_ is, and how beautiful in its
Place! Let us but suppose it just now banish'd the World entirely, and
consider the Consequence of it: All the Animal Creation would
immediately stand stock still, exactly in the Posture they were in the
Moment Uneasiness departed; not a Limb, not a Finger would henceforth
move; we should all be reduc'd to the Condition of Statues, dull and
unactive: Here I should continue to sit motionless with the Pen in my
Hand thus------and neither leave my Seat nor write one Letter more. This
may appear odd at first View, but a little Consideration will make it
evident; for 'tis impossible to assign any other Cause for the voluntary
Motion of an Animal than its _uneasiness_ in Rest. What a different
Appearance then would the Face of Nature make, without it! How necessary
is it! And how unlikely that the Inhabitants of the World ever were, or
that the Creator ever design'd they should be, exempt from it!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account