Who Was Benedict Arnold? – He was an early hero of the American Revolution and later one of the most infamous traitors in the US history.
Benedict Arnold (1741-1801) was
born in the British colony of Connecticut. His family was one of the wealthiest
in Norwich. From childhood, he was a natural leader, leading groups of friends
what to do or where to go.
He was very adventures, craving
attention. His daring acts included jumping onto a moving waterwheel and
climbing high up on a ship’s mast.
During one summer break from
school, he sailed with his father to the islands of the Caribbean Sea. At the
same time, he observed the command.
In 1754, life took a big turn for
him, his father’s business declined. He had to come back from the boarding
school. He was teased by other kids because of his family’s trouble. And with
his father’s drinking, he was getting embarrassed and getting concerned what
other people thought of him and his family. – (A lot of people fall into this
trap. Your current situation shouldn’t shape you into any kind of shame. It’s
just a test how you come out of it, and that should be with your head up, not
down).
He continued his adventures and
learned some skills from Mohegan people who lived nearby, which was fishing,
hunting, paddling a canoe, and moving silently through the woods.
However, he continued his daring
acts, In response, his mother apprenticed him to an apothecary.
At fourteen, his energy switched
from trouble-making to becoming rich. (There is nothing wrong with gaining
wealth, but the question is what do you do with that wealth? Will you direct it
to help others or is it just for personal gain?) He was also sent on short
trips to learn more about trading, buying, and selling.
In 1761, he completed his
apprenticeship and was loaned some money to start his own shop. He moved to New
Heaven where he set up a shop. He sailed to London where he obtained more
credit for his goods.
He liked wearing fancy clothes as
he believed that making himself happy should be his goal. – (Yes, making
yourself happy should be everyone’s goal, but happiness comes from within, not
from external things. At the same time, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dress
well. It’s all about how you approach things, where it’s coming from
internally. For example, confronting someone might be needed, but how you
confront is the crucial part. It has to be constructive, not demeaning).
He did well, selling his goods, but
he didn’t pay his debts. – (He was just taking from the Source. He wasn’t giving anything back. You can’t be
just taking and taking. That’s not how the universal law works. You have to do
the balancing act of giving and receiving).
In 1763, he was jailed for six
weeks for his debts.
After the death of his parents, he
sold the family home and bought a ship called Fortune. He started trading goods
and did his best to avoid paying taxes to the British government. – (Again, he
was on the path of just taking, and not giving back).
When the Stamp Act of 1765 was
passed, he joined the Sons of Liberty in protest.
By 1773, he stopped sailing and
settled down to run the store in New Heaven. By then he was married with three
sons.
In April 1775, he took part in the
Revolutionary War against the British. After taking over Fort Ticonderoga from
the British, during his absence on another mission, another colonial officer
took charge of the fort. He spent some of his money on his men and his mission.
– (This situation clearly shows how the universe started balancing for him. At
some point, the money had to be taken from him if he just kept taking. The
universe was sending him signals to learn the lesson but he kept missing the
meaning. Instead, he was revolting inside).
When he sent the bill to the
Continental Congress, he got back only part of the money. He was upset about
the injustice and his resentment was growing.
Despite that he went back to
fighting as he was seeking glory and success. But he continued to be
controversial, taking military supplies after the battle and selling them, and
arguing with other officers.
He complained to Congress that he
gave so much of himself and wasn’t treated well in return. – (Whatever you give
or behave certain way, you should have no expectation to receive something back
or that someone else will behave the way you did for them).
Meanwhile, other battles happened
and five other officers got promoted even though he served longer. He argued
with the Congress to change their decision. Others argued that he needed to be
more respectful of their authority.
A former officer, John Brown, said
that Benedict would sacrifice his country in the name of money, among other
accusations. It seems as someone already detected what Benedict was capable of
because of his controversial behavior. – (His resentment was growing whenever
things didn’t go his way – that’s a perfect time to pause and ask why is this
happening to me? What am I supposed to learn from this? Instead of reacting and
arguing).
He continued to argue, including
with General Horatio Gates, the leader of the Continental Army.
After the Battle of Saratoga of
1777, and his heroic action, he was awarded a rank of major general. But
because of his injured leg, he couldn’t return into battle, so he was given a
position of the military governor of Philadelphia.
Despite his promotion, which he was
craving, his controversial behavior continued. He also married daughter of a
British merchant (he was widowed). And he still was angry at Congress for still
owing him money and not promoting him fast enough.
He wanted to appear as wealthy and
successful so he lived above his means.
He continued to believe that he was
mistreated by American government. Thus, he sought money and a position in the
British army.
Meanwhile, he was accused of some
charges and felt as victim. – (Take responsibility for your actions. Things
happen for you, not to you. So never feel as a victim, rather look for a
solution - what is it that you need to learn about yourself so those situations
that make you feel as a victim won’t be coming back to you).
This victimhood led him to reaching
out to British Crown and a deal was approved. He released plans of Continental
Army to British Army. Afterwards, he never was caught. He died in London, where
he was snubbed and never felt at home.
This biography exemplifies a man
who felt into victimhood. It started in his childhood where he felt ashamed by
his circumstances, going from comfortable living to not so comfortable. And
because of his victimhood, he became the taker. He didn’t feel he had to give anything
back for the good things that were coming into his life. He kept missing the
lessons that the universe was sending him. Instead, he continued to spiral
himself into the victimhood which further led him to treason. Afterwards, he
spent his remaining years in a land where people looked down on him – something
he was trying to prevent throughout his life.
Source: Penguin Workshop, 2020
TRENDING INSPIRATION: “We cannot
teach people anything; we can only help them discover it within themselves.” – Galileo
Galilei, Italian Astronomer
Traits:
·
From childhood, he was
a natural leader, leading groups of friends what to do or where to go.
·
He was very adventures,
craving attention.
·
While sailing to the islands
of the Caribbean Sea, he observed the command.
·
When financial
circumstances of his family changed, he got embarrassed and concerned with what
other people thought of him and his family. – (A lot of people fall into this
trap. Your current situation shouldn’t shape you into any kind of shame. It’s
just a test how you come out of it, and that should be with your head up, not
down).
·
To avoid him getting
into trouble with his adventures, his mother apprenticed him to an apothecary,
where his energy switched from trouble-making to becoming rich. - (There is
nothing wrong with gaining wealth, but the question is what do you do with that
wealth? Will you direct it to help others or is it just for personal gain?)
·
When he completed his
apprenticeship, he was loaned some money to start his own shop. – (The universe
was constantly assisting him, but along the way he became a taker who thought
he didn’t have to give anything back).
·
He liked wearing fancy
clothes as he believed that making himself happy should be his goal. – (Yes,
making yourself happy should be everyone’s goal, but happiness comes from
within, not from external things. At the same time, it doesn’t mean you
shouldn’t dress well. It’s all about how you approach things, where it’s coming
from internally. For example, confronting someone might be needed, but how you
confront is the crucial part. It has to be constructive, not demeaning).
·
He did well, selling
his goods, but he didn’t pay his debts. – (He was just taking from the Source. He wasn’t giving anything back. You can’t be
just taking and taking. That’s not how the universal law works. You have to do
the balancing act of giving and receiving).
·
When he spent some of
his money on his men and his mission during the Revolutionary War, he got back
only part of the money. His resentment started building. – (This situation
clearly shows how the universe started balancing for him. At some point, the
money had to be taken from him if he just kept taking. The universe was sending
him signals to learn the lesson but he kept missing the meaning. Instead, he
was revolting inside).
·
Despite that he went
back to fighting as he was seeking glory and success, and continued to be
controversial. – (Again, intention of own benefit has short legs).
·
He complained to
Congress that he gave so much of himself and wasn’t treated well in return. – (Whatever
you give or behave certain way, you should have no expectation to receive
something back or that someone else will behave the way you did for them).
·
He continued to argue.
- (His resentment was growing whenever things didn’t go his way – that’s a
perfect time to pause and ask why is this happening to me? What am I supposed
to learn from this? Instead of reacting and arguing).
·
He continued to believe
that he was mistreated by American government. Thus, he released plans of
Continental Army to British Army, and became traitor who was never caught.
·
He died in London,
where he was snubbed and never felt at home - something he was trying to
prevent throughout his life.
FURTHER INSPIRATION AND RECOMMENDATION:
Lack of mindfulness on the part of Benedict
Arnold brings to mind Living in a Mindful Universe by Dr. Eben Alexander.
When Dr. Eben Alexander experienced unexplainable during his coma, his personal experience put him on a quest of searching for the truth. He himself was a materialist scientist once, but could no longer ignore unexplainable. This book is his ambitious effort to unite science and spirituality.
The first five chapters are for
those who search for scientific proof, but in reality it comes down to consciousness.
In the following chapters, the
author gives tools for connecting with the universe to fully manifest the will.
It includes trusting your own experience, the power of prayer, and practice of
going within.
We’re moving from pure scientific
materialism into more expanded versions of understanding the role of
consciousness in manifesting reality. It’s about being more aware of our inner
world whether through meditation, prayer or other means.
One of the most profound
realizations for the author was the gauge of emotions. They are good indicators
of the lessons we need to learn. It’s important to learn how to process
emotions and not to “stuff it.”
The author acknowledges that there
are instances of deception with mediums. Nevertheless, he also acknowledges
that many seem to have natural skills. These experiences defy scientific
explanation, but seem quite real to the person who receives the remarkable
information.
Source: Rodale Books, 2017
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