two thoughts about abraham lincoln

Twice in the past week, I've gotten into conversations about Abraham Lincoln. Now, I realize that Lincoln's no Bernadette Peters, but he's still a pretty important American who deserves a post somewhat dedicated to him on this august blog. Now that I've deigned to write about him ... well, Emancipation Proclamation, Shemancipation Proclimation -- Lincoln's hit the big time.

I had drinks and dinner last week with a client in Atlanta ... he taught me how to drink sake with sushi (or, more importantly, how not to drink sake with sushi), which I consider very important information. It's about as important as the client lunch I had at Nami, where I was introduced to the wonderful world of eating a deep-fried shrimp head. I probably could pair the right sake with the shrimp skull, if need be. 

The client -- I'm not sure he wants me to use his name, so I'll call him "the client" -- was telling me of his fascination with Abraham Lincoln. We spent some time over beers discussing The Great Emancipator, his role in American history, etc. It's almost trite to say anything in praise of Lincoln, so large is his shadow. One could trace Sen. Obama's race speech (not coincidentally, given earlier that day) back to Lincoln and his influence on American political philosophy, though the Lincoln that everyone "knows" is the happy, shiny, he-freed-the-slaves Lincoln. His views were far more complex and not completely what we'd expect to be "enlightened" today, but we all need heroes, and as Nietzsche pointed out in "The Use and Abuse of History," sometimes societies need to create heroes.

So that was Lincoln reference #1. Reference #2 came tonight, as I spoke with my dad about his burgeoning creative writing skills ... 

I probably haven't said it out loud enough, but I very much admire my father's ability to just decide that he's going to learn something -- and then follow through on it. The best example is guitar: I'm not sure when he made the decision that he was going to learn to play, but it started when I was in middle school, after his mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. I've always thought he poured his hurt and anger and frustration into the guitar. By the time I went to college, he was very proficient. He actually saved my mental health by getting me a guitar at the end of my junior year -- I don't think I could have made it through my senior year if I hadn't had that Yamaha around.

Fast forward 20 years, and Dad decides he's going to take up creative writing. And his first story ever submitted was published -- which is more than I've ever accomplished (outside of a small essay I wrote for my college literary journal). He also has some pieces up at a creative writing site. He and I were discussing them this evening and, while talking about word counts, I mentioned that Lincoln's Gettysburg Address was under 200 words.

So that was Lincoln reference #2. And it caused me to reread the Gettysburg Address. I'm always blown away by this sentence:

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

The way he parallels "devotion" ... it works well on the page, but even better when delivered out loud. And of course the "of the people, by the people, for the people," which echoes "We the people of the United States" from the Declaration of Independence Constitution, adds just the right note of elegance with which to end the speech. Just 278 words, but pound for pound the most powerful 278 words in American history.

And now, he's immortalized on my blog. Lincoln finally matters.