Lincoln

Uncle Bubba darted through traffic on a cold Ohioan night, switching lanes and sashaying trough the traffic lights and intersections as he struggled to find the theater. He was running late and was tired from a long week's work yet he looked forward with anticipation to spending a few mystical hours in a dark movie theater, lost in shadows between the flickering lights; a reprieve from eternal verities, an escape from reality. He parked his truck and shuffled quickly across the busy parking lot, his hands buried deep in his coat pockets and his collar raised to guard against the creeping dampness. He was running late according to the start time of the movie listing but he knew that he had a buffer depending on the number of previews that they were showing. As he stood a dozen deep in line he hoped that the quality of the anticipated viewing matched his conjured expectations. Then it was his turn at the ticket booth and he stepped up to the plexiglas, "One for Lincoln please."

Uncle Bubba navigated his way through the dark theater halls and rounded the corner and entered the dimly light, cavernous room of stadium seats and flickering images. He quickly surmised that there were only seats available down in the front area since he had shown up a bit late. Following the footlights he found a comfortable seat of the few remaining, settled in and watched the last preview before the film started. The tone of the movie is blue, cold and damp but Lincoln prevails through it with a warm and wise character. The film is based in part on Doris Kearns Goodwin's biography of Lincoln, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, and covers the final four months of Lincoln's life so it's ideal to remember that it is not a documentary, it is made to entertain, not educate but it manages both wonderfully. The film makers and actors did an exceptional job of showing the complexity of Abe's life as father, husband, politician, and President measured against just being a man; all within 150 minutes.

Uncle Bubba realizes that he is heavily influenced by my own current life and the forces upon it in that he is sacrificing his home life and comfort to make a living and take care of Sweet Pea, but he came away from the movie thinking that it may be the greatest movie he's ever seen but he doesn't know why. There are so many layers and levels to sift through. The film poignantly displays examples of courage and sacrifice, courage by soldiers and courage by some irascible politicians of that era. Uncle Bubba is a man that prides himself on his toughness but admitted that he literally cried three times while watching and he doesn't know if he's ever done that in a movie theater. In the end, he was pretty choked up at the end and had to gather himself as the credits rolled. He sat in the dark as others shuffled to the exits and wondered why he was so sorrowful. He reckoned that it reinforced the sadness he feels for his country in it's present state and mourning the loss of someone who may have contributed even more to the quality of our lives. He finally gathered himself and slid his arms through the sleeves of his coat while heading for the exit. He walked slowly down the sidewalk looking into the storefront windows while mulling his thoughts. The cold damp air seemed almost welcome now, like a slap in the face to bring one back to their senses. He walked to his truck considering how carefully Lincoln weighed individual circumstances of citizens and therefore how far removed our modern day Presidents are from us. Bubbie started the engine and sat silently waiting for the motor to warm up and the windows to clear. After several minutes he fiddled with the radio to find some music to bring him back from his thoughts. He recalled that though it wasn't mentioned in the movie, Bubbie knows that the U.S.-Dakota War was being fought in the state of Minnesota at the same time as the Civil War and Lincoln had to deal with that as well. He marveled at Lincoln's fortitude to handle all of the difficult things on his plate and still retain a sense of humor. It made him consider the courage that it takes to rise above one's personal interests and to compromise to achieve the most and with that, it reinforced his idea that having vision is a rare thing. Now here we are on the precipice of another financial crisis and in Bubbie's view, our Congress should be forced to spend 2 1/2 hours to watch this movie together. They may come away from it with a spirit to compromise on the immediate goals of avoiding the fiscal cliff and manage the immediate impact versus attempting to solve the entire debt crisis in one bill. There is no one thing that will fix our economy. But why not find common goals and compromise to achieve them knowing that everything is dynamic; great works are sculpted over time. We can have it all, just not all at once.

Finally, in speaking to Abraham Lincoln's vision, here is a quote that eerily predicted our future: “I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands, and the Republic is destroyed. I feel at this moment more anxiety for the safety of my country than ever before, even in the midst of war.”
–Abraham Lincoln in a letter written to William Elkin, 1860

Now, it's time for me to go. But I would rather stay.