Client Goals 5: Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and Developing a Transcendent Purpose

In my last blog post, I spoke of a trip to Washington, DC and the various memorials that attest to the grand vision and immense sacrifice of so many to secure the blessings of liberty that most people in this world do not get to experience.  Today, I wish to highlight the timeless words of Abraham Lincoln on display at The Lincoln Memorial, which capture his transcendent mindset. While this blog post is not directly related to legal matters, I do believe that if every litigant reflected on the true meaning of its words, many disputes would be resolved in a few hours.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

After reading these words, does this change your perspective on any pending battle you’re currently fighting in your life?
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