November 10, 2024

Since the recent Presidential election there have been numerous calls for unity and healing.  President Elect Trump referred to this in his victory speech.  Even Joe Rogan, on his podcast, said “He’s got to unite people.  He’s got to not attack the left…let them all talk… but unite.  Now it’s time to unite everybody.” As I reflected on this, my brain started along the chain of consciousness path.  I started pondering our nation’s history.  Has there ever been a time of such civil strife?  Has our nation ever been this divided?  This led me to the Civil War, surely the greatest time of unrest in our nation’s history.  With all this swirling in my head, I got an email reminding me of the upcoming Veteran’s Day parade that is held annually in my hometown.  Back upon my path, I came to Abraham Lincoln, the President who had to deal with the greatest threat to our Republic.  I could not imagine how heavy the burden was for him to carry, but I recalled his timeless speech articulating in.  I looked up the Gettysburg Address and was reminded that it was delivered in another November, 161 years ago.  I realized that Lincoln’s words were still true today (with a bit of updating) and may serve as a beacon for all Americans to follow as we continue our efforts “to form a more perfect union”.  Finally, how poignant would it be to reflect upon this as we commemorate all our veterans on November 11^th.

So, with respect, deference and apologies to Abraham Lincoln, here’s my feeble attempt at revising the Gettysburg Address to reflect on our time and current situation:

Twelve score and eight years ago our fathers and mothers 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 time of great civil strife, with our many common bonds threatened by social, economic and partisan differences, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met here on the eve of Veteran’s Day, a day that we set aside to remember and honor those that gave some, and some that gave all, so that this nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we cannot honor them as they deserve.  The brave men and women, living and dead, who struggled on our behalf, have done far more than our poor efforts to honor them can enhance. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated to the unfinished work which they who served have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored veterans, living and dead, we pledge increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these veterans shall not have served and fought in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of patriotism, democracy,  and unity, governed by majority rule and minority rights. — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Footnote:  This morning an editorial by Tony Messenger was published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  For those in despair due to the results of the recent election I would like to offer up an excerpt from Mr. Messenger’s article:

“…valuable context can be gained by going back even further in history – to Abraham Lincoln’s election, when the Civil War was brewing and states were starting to secede from the Union.

‘While the people retain their virtue and vigilance, no Administration by any extreme of wickedness or folly can very seriously injure the Government in the short space of flour years.’ Lincoln said in his first inaugural speech, adding, ‘We are not enemies, but friends.’”

All Americans, regardless of race, color, gender, sexual persuasion or creed, must retain their virtue and vigilance under an administration to ensure that this nation, and its founding principles, “shall not perish from the earth.”

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The Gettysburg Address, original text:

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 battlefield 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.

Abraham Lincoln
November 19, 1863