Five Life Lessons I Learned from Abraham Lincoln

2009 is proving to be a remarkable year.  Barack Obama, the first African-American President of the United States began his term of office.   This present day event   would not have happened if it were not for someone who existed many years ago: Abraham Lincoln.  Coincidentally, 2009 is the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth and there are celebrations across the country.  I was approached last year to compose music to help celebrate the occasion, which lead to a wonderful experience for me artistically.  I have been busy composing and rehearsing “Proclamation of Hope: a Symphonic Poem.”   This is a large-scale work consisting of the Ramsey Lewis Trio plus a 22-piece band, including a vocalist accompanied by visual images from a range of sources.  The movements of this piece were all motivated by historical events from Abraham Lincoln’s life and work.  The premiere is Friday, June 12th at Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois.

This project required many hours at the piano composing, writing and arranging.  It also required a great deal of time researching, reading, and contemplating Abraham Lincoln’s life.   My feelings and observations about him will be expressed in the form of that live performance next month.  I also wish to share some of those feelings and observations on Abraham Lincoln’s life here in this forum.   Many things I learned about Lincoln are qualities we can all aspire to and involve habits we can cultivate in our daily lives.  Even though he was born in 1809 and died in 1865, the way he lived his life is still relevant in 2009. We can all become happier, more fulfilled human beings by following his example.

A defining characteristic of Abraham Lincoln from an early age was the determination to make something of himself. We have all heard the saying, “You can be whatever you want to be, despite your circumstances.”   We also all are familiar with the simple surroundings in which he grew up in rural Illinois.   He never finished high school.  Still, he was determined to educate himself.  Even though a formal education was not readily available to him, he decided he wanted to become a lawyer.  As a young man he was determined to pass the Illinois Bar Exam.  He put in many hours of study.  Keep in mind that law school takes three years today and students have the benefit of professors and teachers guiding them and challenging them along the way.  He studied on his own without that guidance.  And he passed the exam on the first try!   What can we learn from this?   Know what you want to accomplish, put in the time, no matter how tedious it may seem, and you can accomplish that goal.  He lived in a time and place with few luxuries, little formal education  and tough circumstances but through his will and hard work, he made something of his life and changed those circumstances.

This ties in to another aspect of his character: Abraham Lincoln saw his life as his own creation. He saw learning as a lifelong process; something that one can be engaged in as long as they are on this earth.  He was always reading, studying, learning, and growing.  He appreciated the arts.  He read books on calculus.   He read Shakespeare.  He read the Bible cover to cover.   He approached life as an opportunity to enrich his existence through learning and to exist harmoniously with other human beings.

Abraham Lincoln was a sensitive man who was in tune with his emotions. He was a wartime president and the death of soldiers was an everyday occurrence.  He understood this.  He dealt with it not with machismo or a ‘toughen up’ attitude, but in a much different way.  He dealt with it as a thoughtful, caring human being.  In many cases he cried.  That was his reaction upon receiving the news of the death of soldiers – even in groups they were still individuals.  His presidency spanned a time of great tragedy facing the confusion and difficulty of war.  Through it all he was not afraid to stare that harsh reality in the face and respond in a way that is sometimes perceived as showing weakness or fear.   Neither of those attributes applies to Lincoln.  This was a man of great strength who was not afraid to show his emotions.

Abraham Lincoln accepted disagreement and understood its value. Yes, he had the courage of his convictions.  He believed what he believed and knew the principles for which he stood.  At the same time, he understood the importance of listening to both sides of an issue.  If someone did not agree with him, he did not just turn his back or respond negatively.  Disagreement was not seen as an attack.  Disagreement was an opportunity to stimulate healthy discussion, to see another point of view, and to understand each other as human beings.   He wouldn’t necessarily change his mind or change the other party’s mind through these healthy debates and discussions, but he understood their value nonetheless.  Sometimes just being listened to is all that is needed.  Sometimes getting a clearer picture of the other side of an issue causes one to consider decisions more carefully.  As a politician, disagreement was a common experience for Lincoln.  Not only did he thrive on the healthy discussion and understanding that can be brought on by disagreement, but he had great respect for many of those who disagreed with him.  Several people who ran against him for public office ended up in his cabinet when he was elected President.

Abraham Lincoln knew that humor was a key to a harmonious existence with other human beings. Every book I read about him describes his sense of humor.  While it is rare to see a photograph of him smiling, the man understood the value of laughter and taking a lighter approach to life, when appropriate.  He was a fountain of funny stories and humorous anecdotes – this too in a time of great tragedy.  His appreciation of humor did not detract from those tragedies and hardships, but instead made them bearable as he guided this nation past slavery and the Civil War.  Without his sense of humor that guidance would not have been nearly as enduring or effective.

Will we all become as historically significant as Abraham Lincoln if we follow these principles?  Probably not.  However, by approaching life in this way: having the determination to make something of ourselves despite our circumstances, seeing our lives as our own creation, being in tune with our emotions, understanding the value of disagreement, and the importance of humor in the face of tragedy, we can all be more fulfilled, happy human beings.   Lincoln made the world a better place while he was alive and those changes resonate today, 200 years after he was born.  We all have the power to make our world a better place right now in 2009 if we follow his example and approach our lives the way he did his.