The billboard had a familiar face on it; the face of that guy on 5-dollar bill, only much bigger, of course. Next to it, only few words, spaced far apart, “Failed… Failed… Failed… And Then…”
And Then… What?
Lincoln’s life story was long appropriated by motivational speakers, to be used to extoll commendable benefits of perseverance. The message always is one needs to persevere to succeed, just like how Abe struggled and look what he achieved! The ultimate success!
Lincoln life is all about perseverance, faith in high principles, devotion to common good, sacrifice for public service, but is it really a success story? The lesson seems to be if you strive hard you will always have to strive even harder and harder, you get no rewards, face endless losses and after you take on the hardest job of all and guide your nation through the bloodiest Civil War, why, there might be assassin’s bullet waiting for you at the end of it all. Is that success?
Or is that a tragic story of a noble soul under endless assault of “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”?
I don’t particularly get how Lincoln “failed” to begin with. He did pretty well for himself. He was popular, strong, intelligent. He went from poverty to being a fairly respectable lawyer, and then a fairly successful legislator.
He did what we should all try to do: stand up for what is right; seek conciliation and agreement when possible; reach out a hand to everyone, but never ignore injustice; treat everyone equal; look at life with humor; love your children; resist being a know-it-all; be perceptive.
He was also shrewd, cagey, political, and contemplative.
Lots of bad stuff happened in his life, and to his family afterwards. Bad stuff is gonna happen sometimes to people who choose to live life and lead rather than sit safe in the house. But motivational speakers don’t have to use Lincoln as an example of that; plenty others will do.
Define “success”. We cannot know but I bet if we could ask President Lincoln or Mahatma Ghandi if they thought their life was a success they would answer yes.
These are principled people. They had a belief in doing good, doing the right thing for its own sake and not because they would get a beach house in Malibu someday. It is a lesson all too often lost these days in this “me first” society. It is possible to derive satisfaction from striving to do good work for its own sake. Indeed, I think it is the deepest and most satisfying reward far outstripping any other rewards.
That their lives were cut short is sad but again I would bet dollars to dimes they wouldn’t have altered course even if you went back in time and told them what was to come.
Very true, but their lives weren’t necessarily even cut all that short. Lincoln lived to 56 and Gandhi to 78, both well beyond the average life expectancy for their times.
Moral: you can stand up for righteousness, work and suffer tremendously, win immortal renown, be tragically cut down by an assassin’s bullet, and still come out ahead in the longevity game. Beats dying of liver failure or venereal disease at age 34, dunnit?
As was mentioned, pre-presidency, Lincoln was pretty successful. Admittedly, he had just failed to become Senator, but he was rich, well respected, nationally known, and well connected.
Uh… Ganghi maybe, but will everyone please remember that merely because the average life expectancy in Lincoln’s day was low doe not mean he was considered an old man. He should have lived at least another decade, and perhaps two or even three. Heck, the man ordered around many generals much older than himself.
The implication here is that Lincoln suffered many failures before achieving some sort of breakthrough to success. I can’t understand what sorts of “failures” they’re referring to. He struggled against enormous odds, and succeeded nearly consistently. And even at the end, he had already achieved way beyond what most others would have.
sb:[…] will everyone please remember that merely because the average life expectancy in Lincoln’s day was low doe not mean he was considered an old man. He should have lived at least another decade, and perhaps two or even three. Heck, the man ordered around many generals much older than himself.
Yes, I know that. I wasn’t trying to argue that Lincoln was considered an “old man” at the time of his death, even by the standards of his day. I was just pointing out that the average American born around the time of Lincoln’s birth had already been dead for several years by the time Lincoln caught the bullet.