So guess what? Even if you’re the president of the USA, it’s hard as hell to get stuff done. Whether now, or 150 years ago.

Perseverance is needed. Essential.

It’s essential for all of us to hold on in the darkest of nights, because people will not always do what is right.

 People voted to keep racism and prejudice the law of the land, because personal power is more powerful than doing the right thing.  And, looking back from this distance, it’s easy to say what the what?  The 13th amendment is really that hard to decide on?

How can you vote on the wrong side of history here?

We watch and gape, not comprehending how we so often do the same thing. We forget how hard it is for justice and freedom to be accomplished.

It’s easy to give up when the going gets tough. When it’s depressing and lonely and you have to convince your own team to be on your side. And then, to pair that weight with severe family issues?

I don’t know how he did it.

I was surprised at how many people didn’t do the right thing, the equal thing. I was surprised at how much politics and power played into voting decisions. Somehow I’m still surprised today when that happens. But that’s human nature, isn’t it?  Not bound by decade or century, not limited to ‘society today’.

One thing that I noticed was that Lincoln was for something. People always say it’s better to be known what you’re for, not what you’re against, and I agree. In making his case, he didn’t just rail about how bad slavery was and then wring his hands. He worked proactively for something. For the amendment. It gave people something to support, to rally for.

This movie reminds me that people are worth the darkness, the hardness, the difficulties. Anything that points to love and life is going to run into hardships, but if we believe in the truth of it, we need to not give up.

Life is hard and can get overwhelming, even if we aren’t working for an amendment or a large project or organization. But life. We need it. We need to thrive and be healthy. We need to persevere.

The world is depending on us.

 

 

 

And, to continue the theme of working hard for equality, next week there is going to be a large synchroblog discussing feminism and what it means to each of us.  Telling stories and listening to each other are the best ways to understand and affirm each other.

 

If you’d like to join along, use the hashtag #femfest and then come and link up and discuss with us!

• {Day 1} Feminism and Me: On Tuesday, February 26, link up at J.R. Goudeau’s blog, loveiswhatyoudo.com, and write about these questions: What is your experience with feminism? What’s a story or a memory or a person that you associate with that word? Why does it have negative or positive connotations for you? How do you define the term, either academically or personally? What writers have you read whose definitions you want to bring out? Or, if you don’t have a definition, what are some big questions you have?
• {Day 2} Why It Matters: On Wednesday, February 27, link up at Danielle Vermeer’s blog, fromtwotoone.com, and write about these questions: What is at stake in this discussion? Why is feminism important to you? Are you thinking about your children or your sisters or the people that have come before you? Or, why do you not like the term? What are you concerned we’re not focusing on or we’re losing sight of when we talk about feminism? Why do you feel passionately about this topic?
• {Day 3} What You Learned: On Thursday, February 28, link up at Preston Yancey’s blog, seeprestonblog.com, and write about these questions: What surprised you this week? What did you take away from the discussion? What blog posts did you find particularly helpful? What questions do you still have?