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“Under all this seeming want of life and motion, the world does move nevertheless.”
~Abraham Lincoln, 1856
IT WAS THE 1850s, and the issue of slavery was ramping up—more specifically, the issue concerning the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This hot piece of legislation allowed these soon-to-be states the right to choose whether they wanted to permit slavery or not. People were outraged—this act essentially nullified the Missouri Compromise, which banned slavery above the respective state’s Southern border—and one such outraged person was future President Abraham Lincoln.
Lincoln, who was then on a political sabbatical, joined in with the anti-Nebraskan sentiment in 1856. Public consensus grew further apart. No doubt, the United States was headed toward war.
Later that year, in Springfield, Illinois, Lincoln expressed his thoughts which, now in our present age, fit the bill in various ways. “Under all this seeming want of life and motion,” Lincoln said, “the world does move nevertheless.”
Less than ten years later, the Civil War had come to an end. Through years of bloodshed and, ultimately, an assassination, the world carried on. That’s not to diminish the events that preceded—no, if anything, those happenings are what made the world move. Yet, today, here we are: present, intact, and alive.
What does this tell us about our lives today?
With a new year underway, we’ve set our resolutions and have our eyes on our goals. We’re determined to lose thirty pounds, or to scroll less on social media, or to donate more to charity, or . . .
The list goes on. (Though these are the examples I will continue to utilize.)
Yet with life’s ceaseless demands, our resolutions may slip through our fingers. We don’t account for the temptresses, the obstacles, and the traps that may—no, will—lie ahead. We forsake the fact that there will be days when we stumble, fall, and need a helping hand.
And so, when we fail, our goal for weight loss feels daunting, or our phone becomes more appealing, or our charitable income seems limited . . .
Again, the list goes on.
During the height of the Civil War, President Lincoln grappled with profound doubts about the future. Burdened by the weight of his role, Lincoln contemplated the immense challenges and responsibilities of the presidency. He could have quit, but he persevered.
Amidst our aspirations, we must remember that the weight of our goals shouldn’t overshadow the fact that the world marches on. Through the examples above: We can always eat a better meal, or set a time limit for social media, or even create a savings account for charity. We can always start fresh, try again.
Don’t beat yourself up. Our setbacks aren’t as momentous as they seem, for one thing is certain: “the world does move nevertheless.”