Why Lincoln Was Great

     I haven't read a good book lately, simply for the joy of reading. Suddenly I find myself 120 pages into the epic (and thick!) historical non-fiction book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, by Doris Kearns Goodwin. It is the book that Steven Spielberg's movie Lincoln is based upon.
     Lincoln is so interesting, but not so much for the things he did as president but for the ways he conducted his life and worked through adversity. He had a melancholy personality and battled chronic depression several times in his life. How did he push through? By cultivating a good sense of humor, staying busy, and simply not allowing depression to swallow him whole.
     There were no meds to go upon at this time. In fact, from what I gather, doctors would treat your GI system if you were thought to be "depressed"; it was thought the stomach was the seat of the emotions. No, it wasn't modern medicine that lifted Lincoln out; it was the grace of God and the decision to put one foot in front of the other every day.
     This is inspirational to me, as somebody who has battled depression a few times in his life.
     I am also struck by the realization that Lincoln did not have, it seems, a belief in the afterlife. The Christian promises of the Resurrection and eternal life were not things in which he placed his hopes. This doesn't mean he did not believe in God; he just seems to have been more of a Deist than anything. I am not judging the guy; these are Kearns-Goodwin's observations.
     This goes to prove that faith is more than simply knowing the Bible, because Lincoln had whole portions of the Scriptures memorized. I guess we could blame his lack of hope in eternal life, in part, to a hard life filled with loss. He lost his mother, sister, and his own children to early death. But then again, others of his day, like Salmon Chase, experienced significant loss and still clung to the hope and promise of eternal life.
     I don't know what to make of Lincoln. It is obviously sad that he did not share this hope, but the guy is nothing short of inspiring.