LINCOLN FRAME OF MIND

“I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong.” 


Though less traditional as the years advance; I am pleased once again to watch the seasons progress as the holidays approach.

To begin most bike rides, I head a mile north, then east to the lake.  I do this because of the Lincoln statue that stands behind the Chicago History Museum.  The foliage surrounding the monument is a beautiful indication of the seasons; the statue itself is a marvel; and the man represented is one of the finest this nation has ever produced.

Upon approach, I develop a feeling of reverence; I adjust my energy, music, and imagination to embody the feeling a Union Soldier might have felt around the Commander in Chief during the Civil War.  I catch first glimpse of his silhouette 50 yards out; keep my eyes trained until I coast to the base of the monument . . 5 miles per hour; eyes fixed; I speak.

"I'm trying".

Lincoln's integrity resonates so deeply that knowledge of his very existence ennobles all willing to follow his example.  His legacy and influence bear such strength that those willing to recognize right from wrong and let their actions be motivated by the difference, should be considered equals.

Through reason and force, Lincoln unified the nation.

Veteran's Day has just past,
Thanksgiving is just around the corner . . 

The men and women of the United States Armed Forces are cherished for serving our country.  More accurately we salute the soldiers for fighting, risking their lives for the stars and stripes, and what they represent.  We express gratitude, feel remorse for their sacrifice, our hearts bleed for their pain and distress . .

Yet, we seldom ponder the roots of armed conflict; causes that lead us to perpetual battle on foreign land.  We honor those who have fallen, we commemorate some wars by name and the years in which they took place. The bloodshed and young lives taken make discussion of why we were involved in these affairs irrelevant.  When the topic does see the light of day, the reasons for our involvement are black and white, without room for interpretation.  Indeed, our nature has led us to a line of thinking where a human casualty strengthens a cause, and nullifies reason.

This entry was inspired largely by an idea that sparked in my mind a few weeks ago.  I realized that only through the invention of gun powder, and all technological advancement since, has this empire had the ability to reign over all nations.  Only through achievement in science does the current ruling body maintain control.  All styles of combat, all forms of martial arts from all nations and times were rendered obsolete once war was mechanized.  This isn't to say that the nation with the most toys wins regardless of circumstance; Vietnam was more than a lesson in this.  However, what it does say is that thousands of years of hand to hand combat techniques are brought to a level playing field when Uncle Sam opens his tool shed.  Men and women who've known nothing of war, nor their forefathers, are combat ready warriors with 6 months of training, and an automatic weapon.   

We've gone so far in advancing military technology; advertising for war based video games is nearly indistinguishable from that for the US Armed Forces . .

Call of Duty: Operation Enduring Freedom?

I propose that if President Lincoln had not been shot; had he lived to see his 200th birthday last year, he would have been strictly against all foreign intervention since his term in Washington.  He would demand an end to all comparison between him and the current president.  Abe Lincoln's name and image have been celebrated and honored for more than a century, yet few acknowledge how vehemently he would oppose the state of the union since his untimely passing.

A man like Lincoln, under no circumstance, would authorize the construction of an Atomic Bomb.

Or its use.

I would not presume to claim personal insight to the deepest thoughts of Lincoln.  Yet, I can say he was a man of reason; and based on the historical record, reason may have left the White House the same time he did.  

This is why I seek the Lincoln frame of mind.


"Every time that we state a truth, we must know that truth destroys all that is unlike itself and frees the thought of the one whom we wish to help and heal . . . Truth is, just as much as God is; and the whole world is coming gradually to the realization of it. Keep the truth within your own soul, lift your own self above the confusion of life, and then people will believe" Ernest Holmes