Michael F. DuBois

I have this little notebook that I keep with me at all times. It rests in the back left pocket of my jeans, and every time I see something, every time I feel something, I open to a new page and write a thought. For my last post, I found the page about heroes and survivors. I sat down to write, and without an idea of where to go with it yet, Abraham Lincoln came to mind, and I began to write of him. It was a great surprise to wake up the next morning and find that it was in fact Lincolns birthday. Sometimes things just happen for a reason. Later on that night, a documentary about Abraham Lincoln’s life came on TV. It was just as any other documentary, it told of his childhood, what he overcame, his goals, and his achievements. And, as expected, nearing the end of the documentary they started to speak of his assassination. They explained it, made educated guesses as to why it was done, and talked of the sadness that carried on after. However, in the last few moments of the narration, just before they cut to black and the credits rolled, the narrator posed a question. “Lincoln died just as he was starting a great movement in this country. We must wonder, what would happen if he had lived on longer? How much further would this country have come, if he had not been killed along with his ideas?”

I was confused, because even in the most uplifting, the most inspiring of stories, they decided to end on a negative note. By negative, I am not speaking of his death, nor the fact that he died at such an important time in our country, but the idea that they looked back on Lincolns life with the idea that he could have accomplished so much more had he not been killed. This is something that will never have an answer, that nobody will ever be able to explain, and something that could sit in historian’s minds forever. For to that question, there is no answer. Lincoln did not live longer, he was not able to do more, so why must we look back on his life in that manner? Why must we look back on anyone’s life in that manner?

My question, however, is what would have happened if Lincoln was never born? This question goes beyond just Lincoln, it applies to any human being, to all people of every background. To look back on somebody’s life and wonder what more they could have done had they lived longer, I believe, is moving in the wrong direction. I believe this, because I know for a fact that if there is anything people want in this world, it is to leave their mark, to paint upon this world their ideas and beliefs for others to have after they pass. For us to sit back and wonder what somebody as great as Abraham Lincoln could have done, is by far the biggest mistake we could make as people. The reason we have leaders in this world such as Lincoln, is to not only make change, but to inspire others to follow in the same path. When somebody, anybody, passes on in this life, their ideas do not die with them, they are left here on earth for the rest of us to carry on. Just because somebody who had important, life changing ideas passes away, does not mean that those ideas must see their end as well. It is our duty, it is our calling as humans, to listen to the ones around us in order to change this world. What Lincoln “could” have done, just as what anybody who has passed “could” have done, can always still be done. As humans, as brothers and sisters, it is up to us to follow through with the ideas and beliefs that our loved ones leave behind.

Yes, we may have leaders that stand out, ones that speak with great delicacy and conviction, but we must not forget that we are all members of this world aswell, all leaders in our own way. In order for this world to work together, in order for love to overcome hate, we must listen to each others ideas, carry on each others legacy’s, and put out into this world our own feelings, ideas, and beliefs. For one day, soon or far from this day, we too will pass on, and it is up to you now to either exit this world quietly with nothing left behind, or to leave your spirit on this earth and in the ones you love forever.

Open up your heart to the ones around you, and you will change their lives forever. That is your legacy. That, is your spirit.