By: Susannah Sowell
A tall man donning a tall hat with both a long face and long pants can only be one person: Abraham Lincoln. Although he’s been dead since 1865, GSP had a special appearance by a reenactor for our third convocation of the summer. It would be easy to become dry, to become repetitive with information that all Americans learned in the fourth grade, to become a retelling of history with no point; however, our friend Abe did not do this. He described his story in life lessons to teach us, and featured details that many of us didn’t know.
Lincoln got to the point by telling us, “It doesn’t matter as much where you start, but where you head,” and he described his humble beginnings. His mother didn’t know her father, and his father never got any education or apprenticeship; the Lincoln family was a disgrace. In fact, he put it like this: “This two-time elected president came from an illegitimate mother and an illiterate father.” He went further than society ever expected him to go.
He then moved on to his second point: “You need to learn everything you can.” Claiming that you never know where life will take you, so you must be able to protect yourself and be prepared. He used the saying that if he had six hours to cut down a tree he would use four to sharpen the axe, as an example of his preparedness. Lincoln presented the next lesson of
“You need to believe in yourself at least enough to try.”
He told us that often the difference between the one who succeeds and the one who doesn’t is not intelligence or talent, but simply self-confidence. When he broke character for questions at the end he was asked what inspired him to be Lincoln. He responded with his height! He was not recognized for talent, but his confidence in himself and pride in his work has allowed him to become a successful Lincoln.
Lincoln next imparted the wisdom that “You have to believe in yourself at least enough to try,” he told us that those who succeed have self-confidence, and those who fail don’t lack talent, but lack self-confidence. Never being the wealthiest, smartest, or prettiest didn’t stop Lincoln. His next point was similar, in that “You need to work hard, and NOT quit.” He proceeded to tell us the story of him and Mary Todd: a man from squalor and a woman from the wealthiest family. He had to work hard and never quit to make sure they would be together and overcome the odds. Then he told us the story of his failed business, and consequently humbling himself to go back to school for law. Lincoln never quit, even when circumstances were against him.
The convocation ended with his final, simple idea: “You need to be nice,” to just be a decent, kind, caring human-being. He asked us to promise all these points, and if we do then it’ll give him so much optimism for the future. He caught our attention throughout by using the scholars from the audience to play different roles of his stories. He ended with two scholars, Jack Lehman and Ellie McGowan, presenting the Gettysburg Address in full beard and hat. Lincoln’s convocation was both inspiring and informative, making it a rewarding way to spend our third Monday night
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