[Note to readers: For the next few weeks, until Kenny returns from France, I'm probably going to be posting somewhat sporadically and sometimes only a few sentences at a time. But I'm enjoying blogging, so I'm going to do my best to stay in the habit as much as I can.]
I really enjoyed this article about Abraham Lincoln in the Atlantic. It talks about how President Lincoln was widely criticized by his contemporaries for the following things: his general character and intelligence, his strategic handling of the Civil War, and his rhetorical abilities (specifically in the Gettysburg Address). This now seems crazy, as President Lincoln is considered by many to be our best President, with particular strengths in the areas listed above.
The article is a good reminder that history will judge the current president very differently than we do (for better or for worse), and that it's easy to let emotions overcome rationality when you're right in the middle of a situation. It brings some much needed perspective in this world where talking heads are broadcast on cable news networks 24 hours a day and where Facebook memes can make you feel like our country is about to implode from ineptitude. I know people who felt like it was a tragedy that George W. Bush was elected and then re-elected; ditto with Barack Obama. Certainly it's important who becomes president, but there's a reason why people rarely follow through on their threats to move to Canada if so-and-so gets elected. Because ultimately we still live in a pretty great country, and it is unlikely that the president is going to ruin everything.
Thoughts? I seem to have lots of politically passionate Facebook friends, so I welcome dissenting opinions here....
No comments:
Post a Comment