A Different Time; Same People

Last month, when I was in New York for NYCC; I picked up tickets for Costello and myself to see Hamilton, the broadway musical retelling of the life of Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers as well as current resident of the 10 dollar American bill.

The show was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who not only wrote the play, the lyrics and the music but also starred as Hamilton.

To say it was amazing would be quite the understatement, and not at all surprising. What I am finding odd though, is that while I saw the show over a month ago, I haven’t stopped thinking about it.

But not just Hamilton himself, I find myself reading everything I can get my hands on about Washington, Jefferson, Lafayette, Rochambeau and all the major players during the American revolution.

What is continuing to boggle my mind, is how much these men did with their lives. In a time when the life expectancy was 35, where it took months to cross the Atlantic by boat and weeks to spread news from the northern most colony to the southern. Look at how much they did with their lives, how much they built.

It is impossible for me not to look at that in relation to my own life, and those around me.

The takeaway from all of this is not how shitty we are, but rather how much we as human beings are capable of, what we can accomplish.

And with that comes the two words that are rattling in my head this morning-

Build. Create.

That’s what we do.

Quote of the Day

“Let your heart feel for the afflictions and distress of everyone, and let your hand give in proportion to your purse.”
-George Washington