Starting while I was shut in with the flu, I have been watching (via glorious on-demand) the John Adams mini-series on HBO. If you have not seen it, you must. It is absolutely worth signing up for HBO to see it. The acting is mesmerizing, and spot-on. The scene where the demure, New England-bred Adams meets King George as America's first ambassador to Great Britain is a most subtle yet striking example of how good acting and writing succinctly crystallizes a character.
Last night, I felt a little emotional while watching the swearing-in of George Washington. Just a few months back, I visited Federal Hall here in New York with my family, and saw the stone on which Washington stood as he took that oath.
While watching the excellent re-enactment, I was struck by the contrast of our own current leadership. I was saddened over how this country has limped along in a vacuum of inspiration and direction for years now. Our nation's leaders from that era seemed to truly serve solely for the sake of service, in the service of ideas. They seemed to possess a passion not from power or glory, but from serving others.
In this episode, upon finding the newly-appointed Vice President Adams lingering in front of the crowd a moment too long (perhaps demonstrating a momentary envy of Washington), George Washington says to Adam: "I am in your service, Vice President Adams." The statement gets Adams to move out of the way so Washington can step forward to be sworn in. I couldn't help but wonder what a modern president would have said in that situation. Something a little more crass and self-serving, no doubt.
In this election cycle, I have been discounting the role inspiration really serves in modern American politics. A cynical side of me has been thinking that maybe everyone is too plugged in, too "real world" to believe in hope. I had been thinking that experience is needed now more than ever.
But after remembering a lesson from our own history, I am beginning to believe that what we really need now is a leader who can inspire people and raise people's spirits, someone who can get us (and this world) to again believe in the greatness of our ideas, and of our nation.
I hope we get what we need.
