To the People, Yes
I have been reading Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
One of the central themes of the book is that Lincoln had a remarkably ability to put aside the slights of others in order to work for the good of the nation. Or to put it another way, he had a remarkable ability to see the potential of others and to appeal to that (and at times to put up with their worst) by inviting them into the grander vision he held for America, a vision that included both himself and them. For the sake of that vision he could overlook much, inspire much, give much, and sacrifice much. Perhaps that’s the definition of a leader – one who not only sees a better future but is willing to sacrifice one’s personal interest in order to inspire others to move toward it.
As we approach Barak Obama’s inauguration to a second term as President, it feels like that kind of leader is rare. I have high hopes for Obama, but, as Lincoln demonstrated, you can’t do it alone. You not only have to call the best from others; they also need to be willing to give it.
As I read part of Carl Sandberg’s “The People, Yes,” it named for me my own longing for leaders that are willing to endure and embrace “the paradoxes of democracy,” saying “yes” to noble hopes and “no” to base self-aggrandizement, all the time choosing – and I love this phrase “which of the faiths and illusions of mankind” that might bring us beyond the wilderness.
“The People, Yes” #57
Lincoln?
He was a mystery in smoke and flags
Saying yes to the smoke, yes to the flags,
Yes to the paradoxes of democracy,
Yes to the hopes of government
Of the people by the people for the people,
No to debauchery of the public mind,
No to personal malice nursed and fed,
Yes to the Constitution when a help,
No to the Constitution when a hindrance
Yes to man as a struggler amid illusions,
Each man fated to answer for himself:
Which of the faiths and illusions of mankind
Must I choose for my own sustaining light
To bring me beyond the present wilderness?
Lincoln? Was he a poet?
And did he write verses?
“I have not willingly planted a thorn
in any man’s bosom.”
I shall do nothing through malice: what
I deal with is too vast for malice.”
Death was in the air.
So was birth.
Carl Sandberg, #57 from The People, Yes
The film is wonderful! I hope you enjoy it. I just finished reading “Lincoln’s Battle with God” by Stephen Mansfield I highly recommend it. Reading scripture shaped the man and his policies. Lincoln never joined a church though in the latter part of his life he frequently attended worship and had several friends who were clergy. His comments about the organized religion of his day sound so much like the “nones” of today. Studying Lincoln is incomplete without looking at his spiritual side.