Excerpts from The life of Abraham Lincoln by Henry Ketcham
“[The]event was that at New Orleans in 1828, where he saw with his own eyes some of the horrors of slavery. He never could tolerate a moral wrong. At a time when drinking was almost universal, he was a total abstainer. Though born in a slave state, he had an earnest and growing repugnance to slavery. Still, up to this time he had never seen much of its workings. At this time he saw a slave market–the auctioning off of human beings.
The details of this auction were so coarse and vile that it is impossible to defile these pages with an accurate and faithful description. Lincoln saw it all. He saw a beautiful mulatto girl exhibited like a race-horse, her “points” dwelt on, one by one, in order, as the auctioneer said, that “bidders might satisfy themselves whether the article they were offering to buy was sound or not.” One of his companions justly said slavery ran the iron into him then and there. His soul was stirred with a righteous indignation. Turning to the others he exclaimed with a solemn oath: “Boys, if ever I get a chance to hit that thing [slavery] I’ll hit it hard!”
“He bided his time. One-third of a century later he had the chance to hit that thing. He redeemed his oath. He hit it hard.”- Henry Ketcham
I recently watched the movie The Curious Life of Benjamin Button starring Brad Pitt. In the movie, there is a scene where we see the effects of each moment in the lives of unrelated characters from different parts of Paris leading up to a tragic convergence for Cate Blanchett’s character. Every step, every pause, every delay was needed for the event to take place in the future at just the right time. This scene in Abraham Lincoln’s life reminds me that had his life been ANY different up until the witnessing of the auctioning of the mulatto girl, the indelible impression slavery had on Lincoln, may not have taken place. Something deeper than just merely being at a certain place at a certain time was taking place and the imprint on Lincoln’s life purpose is unmistakable. I don’t think Lincoln was fully aware of what was being stirred in him but a steely resolve to “hit that thing” called Slavery had been placed in his heart.
Following the New Orleans trip, Lincoln took a newfound interest in political discourse and the rest is American history. In our lives we denounce suffering, bouts of depression, inconveniences, and setbacks as horrible mistakes in the game of life. They are in fact exquisitely lawful and perfect, without which our life purpose cannot be realized. Abraham Lincoln’s moment teaches us to embrace all of life with faith that every single moment is our vehicle for transformation. This includes our resistance to suffering. So sit back and enjoy the ride, however bumpy. You have no choice but to slam right into the moment.
When the dream was placed in my heart to quit my day job and share my true story with anyone who would listen, I had a deep sense that I was on a predetermined journey. Deep within me, I felt moved by very strong forces to live out of a place of knowing rather than fear. The details of how my new life would unfold did not matter. Everything changing did not mean I woke up one day as a different person but that I woke up to who I have always been without my usual attachment to social roles: The good father who is supposed to always have the energy to play, the loving husband who should plan at least one date a month, the loyal son who is expected to call his mother every week, the best friend who should reply to every facebook message and the committed co-worker who should stick it through to retirement. I woke up instead to the guy who is not caught up with being the actor anymore, has much to say and who will not keep any secrets.
Today happens to be my 38th birthday. I have effortlessly reconnected with many of my friends and have chosen today as the day to introduce them to this blog. Everything is indeed changing.
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