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Steve Goodier►◄
An unusual tribute was paid to Abraham Lincoln
by Carl Sandburg. The poet wrote, "Not often in
the story of mankind does a man arrive on earth
who is both steel and velvet, who is as hard as
rock and soft as drifting fog, who holds in his
heart and mind the paradox of terrible storm and
peace unspeakable and perfect."
Lincoln demonstrated then and now how a person
can possess both a will of iron and a heart of
tenderness. Nothing deterred the
president during the American Civil War from his
"noble" cause, and few persons have ever endured
more criticism and detractors than Lincoln. Yet
he was no more a man of steel than one of
velvet.
When General Robert E. Lee surrendered his army,
contrary to the
advice of some of his generals, Lincoln sent an
unexpected message to the enemy commander. "Tell
your men they may keep their horses; they'll
need them for plowing," said the president. Then
this: "Tell your men they may keep their rifles;
they'll need them for hunting." When Lee read
those words he wept.
For each of us there is a time for toughness and
a time for tenderness. A time for resolve and a
time for compassion. An iron
will is not the same as an iron spirit. Another
courageous American, Martin Luther King, Jr.
some hundred years later encouraged us to
exhibit tough minds and soft hearts... not the
other way around.
I know that mental toughness, particularly an
iron resolve and determination, will often be
needed if I am to get where I want to go. But I
also know that a soft heart - compassion and
love - will make the journey worth it.
