“You have been freed. Do you know how hard it is to lead?”
Hamilton – the Musical
The American Revolution has just ended. The defeated British troops are marching to the ships that will take them home, weapons left stacked on the Yorktown Peninsula. In the play, the shocked and slightly amused English king asks the question of the newly independent colonies. It hangs in the air, both then and now. If you recall, our first attempt at union was not so perfect. Our founding fathers soon discovered that too much independence would only result in a weak nation that could never deliver the promises that the citizens of our new country fought for. They opted for a stronger central government with certain decisions left to the states. We all learned about that in U.S. history class ages ago. The Constitutional Convention and the basic document that underpins our nation today was completed two hundred and twenty-nine years ago. The writers of the time did the best that they could, but they made provision for the document to grow in order to accommodate the future. It was a future that none of them could have imagined.
If it is very difficult to lead, as indeed appears to be the case, all political candidates should probably approach the altar of public service with a sense of humility. It is an altar because even the very best will end up being sacrificed there. Simply average men and women will be ruined; extraordinary leaders will be sorely tested. Reputations will be attacked and lies will be told, all in the cause of elevating the next generation. It is a strange incubator, but it seems to have worked for us. I am not one to mess with success, but for our system to continue working, the voters have to do their job too. This means separating fact from fiction, and getting out to vote. It doesn’t matter which way we lean. Our freedom and independence have been purchased and maintained at a fearful cost. Our very small responsibility is to make sure we value these gifts passed along to us, and to hand them on to the next generation
