The Harvard Classics still give us insights into how to navigate life

When I was a kid, one of my uncles had a beautiful book cabinet full of leatherbound books. I was completely enthralled and resolved to buy such books when I grew up. For various reasons, I never did. In fact, at this point I have too many books, so now I buy them electronically.

The collection was called the Harvard Classics. Harvard President Charles W. Eliot believed “devoted” reading of certain books would give someone a fine classical education without going to college.

The first volumes were published in 1909 and the balance in 1910. The series included a reading list, which asked people to read 15 minutes per day.

The great philosophers, Plato, Socrates and Aristotle are just a few of the authors. The collection explores our thinking through the ages.

Amazon Kindle recently offered the series for $2.97! I bought it immediately, and I’m glad I did. It takes up less room on my iPhone and iPad than a hard copy set on a bookshelf.

The first book in the series is Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography. I had read it in high school and started scanning through it. It’s so good, I got sucked in and am reading it again. Franklin begins his story when he was a teenager and explains how he learned. He unabashedly includes his mistakes and the lessons learned from them.

As a young fellow, he was rather irascible and unpopular. One lonely evening, he developed a list of 13 qualities which he felt would make him more likable if he acquired them. The first week, he consciously practiced the first quality; the second week, he went on to the second and continued till he had all 13. Then he started all over. He was able to practice his self-improvement program four times a year.

His business activities greatly profited, as did our country.

When President Clinton’s Ambassador Pamela Harriman died suddenly in 1997, French President Jacques Chirac said she was the best ambassador from the U.S. since Benjamin Franklin.

This is just one example of the wisdom in those books. I’ve read many of them, and it looks like I’ll be reading them again.

To me, few things are more depressing than spreadsheet managers. No doubt the financial implications of any decision are tremendously important, but in many cases, they’re just part of the picture. There are many crucial questions that don’t lend themselves to a spreadsheet analysis. For instance, is your product or service good for anyone? Will it make them better?

Years ago, I was in Australia and had favorably attracted the attention of Philip Morris. I told the manager I’d help them get the contract, but I wanted no part of the delivery. “Oh no you don’t, they want you!” I was told.

“Sorry, I can’t get excited about helping anyone improve the process of making cigarettes.” He couldn’t understand, as this project would have been so profitable. Just because something’s profitable doesn’t necessarily make it right. Where do we draw the line?

Admittedly, that’s a personal decision for each of us, but too many people never examine the issue or make that decision.

One evening, I found myself having dinner with the CEO of a company that makes junk food. We had a delightful conversation, and I asked if their products were good for anyone. “I won’t let my kids eat them,” he said. He knew, and as long as his kids were OK, who cares about the rest of the world?

Pornography must be profitable as there seems to be an awful lot of it. Would you want to help someone make better porn? How about excessively violent video games? How about a welladvertised weight loss pill that doesn’t actually work?

The list could go on and on. They’re all legal, but are they really the kinds of things you’d want to do just because you can make a lot of money?

The Harvard Classics would help us learn how people have wrestled with such questions through the ages and help us make the kinds of decisions that would be much more beneficial to us and everyone else in the long run.

Ronald J. Bourque, a consultant and speaker from Salem, has had engagements throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. He can be reached at 603-898-1871 or RonBourque3@gmail.com.