Saluting a Great Mind: Abraham Lincoln

Silhouette Of Abraham Lincoln

I recently took a trip to see President Abraham Lincoln’s home and presidential library in Springfield, Illinois. Since I learned as a child that he said, “It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues,” he has been one of my favorite presidents. I think it is safe to assume that anyone reading this blog has at least one ‘vice’ (at least according to our oppressive federal laws).

I was struck with many thoughts while touring the museum. There is an exhibit all about civil war triage and medical practices that made me grateful to live in the day of relatively modern medicine. That isn’t to say that they were doing leechings and venting ill humours through some sure-to-be sanitary blood-letting. But it was a far, far cry from where we are today. Ironically enough, even in a time of such primitive technology it was not illegal to grow or smoke cannabis and was even widely available at drug stores.

It was also a cold reminder that slavery was not so very long ago. To look back on such a struggle and to see with historical perspective how what was once violently opposed (equality) is now defined as a key American value gives me hope for our country. I also cannot help but feel blessed to live in a place that allows me the freedom to at least be heard. There are places in the world where even our friendly Weedist site would not be allowed. To be able to “fight” for the end of marijuana prohibition is a luxury and it is not lost on me.

On a somewhat lighter note, what most overwhelmed me at Lincoln’s library was that, really, the only thing that changes over time is technology. We become better at doing things, but the fundamental human drama that spools through our lives remains unchanged. At one point in the library, you get to see the political propaganda used by and against Lincoln during his campaign. Change the names and faces and perhaps the topic of debate, but the same vitriol, slander and underhanded cynicism is still very present.

To borrow a line from one of my favorite poems, Praying Drunk, “I’m grateful for good health, food, air, some laughs, and all the other things I’m grateful that I’ve never had to do without.” It is good to remember that great change spawns from disquiet and that, as maddening as it can be to try to sprint uphill, we get to stage our fight from a hammock with a joint in our mouths. Still, our fight matters. Perpetual progress is a benchmark of a lasting society and it is important to push to be better on all vanguards.

Thanks for coming on this little rant with me. The next time you look at a penny or drop a 5 spot on a cheeseburger, tip your hat a bit to President Lincoln and take a puff off of your favorite vice (or de-vice).