157th Edition
WWLS – What Would Lincoln Say?
Abraham Lincoln had a curious habit of writing letters, which he then never signed nor sent. Why? For Lincoln it was a therapeutic way to vent his anger and frustration without causing irreparable harm to a relationship. What a novel approach. His most famous such letter was written to General George Meade after the Battle of Gettysburg. Apparently, General Meade had the opportunity to pursue and defeat General Lee’s army which was in full retreat. The fact that the overly cautious Meade hesitated and squandered this opportunity to perhaps end the Civil War, infuriated Lincoln. Hence the letter chastising Meade and expressing Lincoln’s vehement frustration. At the bottom of the letter, Lincoln wrote these famous words, “Never signed, never sent.”
Lincoln’s communication style was a tribute to his self-discipline. It stands in stark contrast to much of what transpires today, with pundits and talking heads spewing forth daily diatribes with very little thought and even less discernment or self-control. This isn’t a recent phenomenon. Even as early as the political battles between many of the Founding Fathers, including John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, plus a host of behind-the-scenes operatives, vitriol and unsubstantiated accusations were commonplace. Some of these verbal battles ended in duels and needless fatalities . It was custom, in those formative years, for combatants to use surrogates or pseudonyms to do their political dirty work. I think it is fair to conclude that polarization, insincere hyperbole and downright slander was just as awful back then as it is today.
So, why was Lincoln seemingly able to rise above it to a large extent? And what might be the subject of a letter he would write today and to whom would it be addressed? And of course, would he sign and send it or file it away in his desk drawer?
To answer these questions, I think we should first ponder what issues today would motivate Lincoln to respond. Lincoln’s primary objective during those turbulent years in our nation’s history was to preserve the union. In my view, no greater words were ever spoken by any American than those by Lincoln which we know as the Gettysburg Address…
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
“Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
“But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. 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. 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.”
What words or actions today would be most offensive to the author of such words? Perhaps we might all contemplate that question as we prioritize and determine what causes and which leaders we support. And even how we go about our daily lives, as brothers and sisters, contributing to life in God’s amazing kingdom.
What would Lincoln say, today? Perhaps he would say very little, preferring not to add to the endless posts, tweets, and senseless sound bites. Still, if we study Lincoln, who was arguably our greatest president, we might realize how much wisdom he has already shared with us.
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Michael Kayes
*These views are my personal opinions and are not the viewpoints of any company or organization.