"We are not enemies, but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature." -from Lincoln's 1st Inaugural AddressThe Better Angels of our Nature! To me, that is exactly what Abraham Lincoln represents!
Lincoln had great empathy and made a conscious effort to understand the perspective of people who he disagreed with. He sought to understand the Southerners.
Unlike many antislavery orators, Lincoln argued: "They are just what we would be in their situation. If slavery did not now exist amongst them, they would not introduce it. If it did now exist amongst us, we should not instantly give it up." Very insightful!
Despite his outward gregariousness, Lincoln was profoundly solitary and he loved to read. He found worthy companionship in books. For Lincoln, reading was part of his relentless drive for self improvement.
William Miller said people who knew Lincoln from early years in New Salem and Indiana remembered Lincoln "reading while the horse rests at the end of a row, reading while walking down the street, reading under a tree, reading while others went to dances, reading between customers in the post office, and reading snatched at length on the counter of the store." You've gotta love anyone who always has their nose in a book!
In a 2005 Time Magazine article, Barack Obama provided a wonderful summary of the message Lincoln's life can convey. Obama wrote: "What I marvel at, what gives me such hope, is that this man could overcome depression, self doubt and the constraints of biography and not only act decisively but retain his humanity. Like a figure from the Old Testament, he wandered the earth, making mistakes, loving his family but causing them pain, despairing over the course of events, trying to divine God's will. He did not know how things would turn out, but he did his best."
I ditto President Obama! President Abraham Lincoln was an amazing man who had plenty of struggles but rose above his demons to bring us the better angels of his nature! A true hero!
