Dying is easy, living is harder

H
istory has its eyes on us, and that is a weighty responsibility. 
Friday evening, I was mesmerized, captivated, and was provoked to thinking on a deeper level given these times in which we are living. 
Why, you may ask? Because of “Hamilton,” the Broadway show that stole the spotlight when it debuted off-Broadway in 2015, and is now streaming on Disney Plus. 
I’ve heard the soundtrack and how amazing it is, but I can’t tell you how entranced I was when I finally got to watch the show. 
To see it on the eve of Independence Day, as protesters rallied against the visit of President Donald Trump to Mount Rushmore, made it take on even more meaning. 
We are living during a time of revolution in the United States. Historical monuments are being targeted as some want to rip them down because they represent something that we are interpreting as being racist.
However, are we shaming some of these amazing historical figures for not living up to 21st century ideals even though they were revolutionary in the 18th?
I connected so much with the story that “Hamilton” so eloquently unfolds throughout this production. Though this story takes place 250 years ago, there was so much that still rings true today.
We went to war with Britain because we were fighting against oppression, and then, as now, we demand more. This country has always stood for freedom, independence, strength, resilience, resolve and compassion. 
Do those ideals that the founding fathers stood for in the 18th century look the same as they do now? Of course not, and I am grateful that we have progressed since then.
A line was repeated in the show and the truth of it still rings true: “History has its eyes on you.” 
As we broke free from Britain in 1776, the world was watching. As we navigate through our current civil rights movement, the world is watching — so we need to realize the weight that is upon our shoulders, just as our Founding Fathers understood the responsibility they were undertaking.
Imagine, if you can, how heavy of a burden these men must have felt! 
“If we lay enough of a strong foundation for you … My son it’s up to you to take this further.”
“I’ll make the world safe and sound for you … Someday, you’ll blow us all away.”
Line after line in the show brought me to tears because of how incredible it is that these men were able to have the foresight to establish a country with individual freedoms as yet unknown in the world.
And as I wondered at their vision, prudence and vigilance in establishing this forward-thinking nation, I connected with the responsibility we are tasked with right now to fulfill the vision of the United States in 2020.
The fireworks display over the presidents on Mt. Rushmore illuminated very clearly the contributions those four made to our history, and it also brought to mind another line from “Hamilton,” “Winning the war was easy, governing is harder.”
Every one of the men on this monument were faced with an unimaginable challenge and each one was revolutionary and so far ahead of their time.
George Washington took on the immense responsibility of being our first president. He was delivered the opportunity to become a dictator on a silver platter, however he chose to set the example of what a democracy was all about by refusing to run for a third term, which he would have won without a doubt.
Thomas Jefferson fought tooth and nail for the rights of the individual and for ensuring that our government was the agent of the people, and not a despot over the people. He did so by championing the inclusion of the Bill of Rights in our Constitution. 
Abraham Lincoln spent his entire presidency trying to preserve the Union and is the reason for the emancipation of the slaves and the passage of the 13th Amendment banning slavery in the United States forever. 
Theodore Roosevelt recognized the necessity of conservation and preserving our environment and he fought to maintain a free market in our economy by championing the dissolution of trusts and banning monopolies.
By today’s standards, were any of these men perfect in their personal lives or did they embody the ideals of 21st century political correctness? Absolutely not, however I would pose the question that, what human could be?
And more importantly, without them, where would this country be? Because of them, we have the right to question the government they established.
The big idea I took from watching “Hamilton” in this critical time in history is that we are now thrust into another time of revolution in which we have to take great care in the decisions we make. Another idea that really hit home is that in times like these, “dying is easy, living is harder” and that once again, history has its eyes on us, and we must be better.