Good morning and happy Presidents Day! Hopefully you are enjoying a leisurely holiday in remembrance of the great Presidents of our nation. If not, then like me, I hope you are making the most of a quiet day in the office.
Regardless of whether the courts are open or closed, I like to say that one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day. Here’s the quote:
“The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.”
— Abraham Lincoln, November 19, 1863
In honor of Presidents Day, I went with a portion of the Gettysburg Address. Perhaps the most noteworthy ten-sentence oration in all of US History, each and every word of it could be reprinted here and provide us with inspiration, motivation, and insight. But in the interest of brevity (anyone who knows me well is shocked at that development), I have selected just a portion to get our day off on the right foot. And it is the most historically inaccurate and down right wrong statement in the entire speech. But why is that so?
The actual featured speaker that day, Edward Everett, gave a two-hour long oration, with grand themes, with ideas and comparisons drawn from past historical events, and with contemplations on the nature of government. And about that speech, Lincoln was exactly right: the world did little note, nor long remember what was said.
But somehow, in ten sentences, Lincoln was able to make a statement that lives on to this very day, and he did so despite expressing a belief that his words would be largely ignored and soon forgotten.
It is a measure of the man’s greatness, of his expectations for this nation, and his appreciation of the gravity of the situation that he held (and expressed) this opinion, as well as that it turned out to be so wrong. But then he takes it a step further and, humility expressed, also sets forth what the work, the challenge, the goal still remaining is. These soldiers died nobly advancing a cause. Now it is time for us to carry on their work.
Whether or not the world took note of the words spoken that day, the idea he is setting forth is one that we can all benefit from. So as I go about my Presidents Day and the week beyond, I will keep the words, and the challenge, set forth by Lincoln in my sights. I will stay dedicated to the unfinished work before me.
Have a great (short) week everybody.