Two visionary men

Yesterday I visited the Lincoln Memorial for the first time. Having ascended to the memorial I was taken by the simplistic beauty of the building. The statue of Lincoln was so classically carved, representing him as serene and with such strong lines. His right hand looked a little too large, but maybe that was to define his strength of character as it gripped the chair. His right foot stretched out from the step as though he was slightly impatient and wanted to rise from the chair and continue with his work. The building was filled with sound, a cacophony of laughter, shouts and noise with people taking photographs of each other, their families, school visits; it definitely wasn’t a reverent atmosphere. I wasn’t too sure about this ambience to begin with, but then I thought that maybe Lincoln’s hopes were that he would leave a legacy where people would just live their lives; that he would place the foundations for a nation that would not be concerned about what had gone before, who were free to express their joy of living. Maybe he hoped that his legacy would be an optimistic light so that future generations would not have to focus on the dark times that he had overseen during the civil war when a nation was divided. As I turned to leave and walked towards and down the steps I was very aware that I was following in the footsteps too of Martin Luther King. In my mind I could almost conjure up the crowds that had been there that day in August 1963 standing between the two lines of trees listening to him speak. His “I have a dream” speech is iconic and in the exhibition inside the Lincoln Memorial his words were ringing out. I am so glad that I went to the memorial on a rainy, overcast day to pay my respects to two men of great belief and great insight, who also had such hope that their fellow man would ultimately do what, was right and just.