In honor of the announcement that Doris Kearns Goodwin will give the keynote address at this year’s commencement, I thought it necessary to discuss something very relevant to this university’s student body — a very important lesson we can all learn from Abraham Lincoln and Goodwin’s most recent book, “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.”
Lincoln ran on the Republican ballot in 1860 and won the party’s nomination — beating out three other Republicans. All of them resented Lincoln to some degree, but what did our 16th president do when assembling a cabinet? He appointed each of those Republicans, along with three Democrats, to his team. A team of rivals was born.
Why would Lincoln appoint his enemies from both sides of the political spectrum to his staff — people who work with him every day and advise him constantly? Lincoln was brilliant and knew how to lead.
As John C. Maxwell, author of “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” writes, “good leaders know that one secret to success is to staff their weaknesses ... but it’s crucial to recognize that people who are different will not be naturally attracted to you.”
Maxwell also writes, “every leader’s potential is determined by the people closest to him.” We see this every day. We factionalize into groups who think like us, act like us, and are like us. We constantly undermine our potential to be great because of whom we choose to associate with: Ourselves.
Without his staff, it is certain Lincoln would not have achieved the level of success he did. I’ve often said the most important thing a president can do is create a good staff. These people were brilliant, cared about the country and were the ones supplying Lincoln with much of his information. It was because they all had a common goal, that being the best interests of America, but viewed the world through educated, but different, political spectrums. This gave Lincoln the ability to make very important decisions correctly and accomplish so much.
This lesson must be understood by every person on our campus. Our state is struggling, our country is struggling, our education, our community and our children, struggling. Why? We don’t understand how important it is for us to be educated and constantly surrounded with people who think differently. If we want to accomplish anything of significance, from political reform to personal enlightenment, we can only do so by assembling a team of rivals.
It reminds me of a comic I saw years ago. The comic was one panel and showed two elephants — one father, one son. The father was saying to the son, “Yes son, we’re republicans.” That comic, so simplistic, displays an incredibly powerful message that is imperative we understand.
We grow up in Christian, right-wing Oklahoma, and what are we? Generally, Christian and right-wing.
All of us would like to think we are so free and individualistic, but the fact of the matter is our beliefs are directly tied to those of our parents and communities. And those beliefs are constantly being reinforced by the one side. Republicans watch Fox News because they already know they don’t agree with left-wing media. They hang out with Republicans, read Republican books and papers, and all this gives them the certain knowledge that health care reform and so many other issues are bad.
Oklahoma is steadfastly Republican because there is no other side being prominently voiced in our state, not because conservatism is correct.
But we cannot, absolutely cannot, feel confident in our opinions, and definitely feel comfortable vocalizing them, until we understand the other position. We must listen to the voice of dissent — it might be right. No matter how convinced or passionate you are of a position, it is impossible to know you are right without spending an immense amount of time studying other positions. People who think and believe differently will challenge you to think about things in a new way, and if you legitimately listen, they’ll force you to reflect on your opinions.
This argument is not confined to religion and politics, but that is where it might be most important. It has broken my heart to see Christianity torn down to something that symbolizes closed-mindedness and stupidity. Most of us are Christian because America is and not because we are passionate about the religion itself. Many of us who are passionate don’t read or think about what it means to be Christian, but merely join the ranks with the leaders of this country — leaders who don’t know what it means to be Christian either.
I’ve talked to people who are afraid of reading about evolution because it might make them atheist. Others argue how stupid it is to think we came from monkeys, and after a bit, you realize they have no real understanding of the theory itself. They never took the time to read the other position because they already knew they didn’t believe it and walked away looking like a loud-mouthed moron. This is important. These are the same people banning Thomas Jefferson from public schools — they have power.
From a Christian perspective, the one thing God thought worth giving us, though it meant the certain damnation of an entire people, was the ability to think. Why are we so afraid of using our brains, of exploring the world, of investigating issues? Is it too hard? Are we too afraid we might, heaven forbid, change? And for the better, perhaps? This factionalized ignorance has gone on too long, and it’s starting to cost us too much.
It is only by deliberately associating ourselves with people who think differently that we start to break free from the chains of a mindless society. We need to start being like Lincoln. We can be a people who understand both sides of issues and, with knowledge as our rudder and free-thinking as our sail, make good decisions and change the world. What’s more, some day, if you take that path, you will wake up, breathe deeply and realize you are free. You are an individual. It comes with work. It comes with education. It comes with a team of rivals.
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William 2 years, 1 month ago
I think this article addresses a very important concept: that we should attach ourselves not to reflections of our own prejudices but to opposition thereof, for the purpose of the undoubted betterment of our ideas through the unbiased collection and interpretation of knowledge.
But I think this article holds a misconception of the true solution to the problem at hand. The true solution, and one that Lincoln did indeed employ, is deeper-rooted. It is to do with respect. Both inter-personally and within the air of the culture, it is priceless. Lincoln appointed rivals as his cabinet not simply because they were rivals, but, more importantly, because he respectfully valued their opposing perspectives. Rivalry in itself does not bring a successful input of opposing views. Empathetic consideration does. I would argue that rivalry, in the absence of respect, is the very cause of this willful ignorance you speak of concerning the Christian right. In Washington there is a literal clusterf*ck of ideals and sentiments because of the bipartisan division. Indeed, many are prone to react in opposition to an issue simply because a certain stance is taken by their rival, no matter if they are ignorant or not. People choose which side to take before even looking into an issue, simply because there IS rivalry and there ARE sides. With rivalry too often comes unquestioning party loyalty and mob mentality, which is both childish and dangerous. The right/left rivalry that permeates our country is present on every level, and differing opinions and perspectives are readily available to anyone. But still something has managed to polarize us into thoughtlessness. Rivalry is a problem. The answer is to abolish the very concept of rivalry; not by the succession of a single-minded ideal, but by the acceptance of all ideals as equal, relevant, important, and deserving of respect. May every insight thrive, and through cooperation prosper where it is wisely deemed to fit.
gunfighter 2 years, 1 month ago
Brilliant Article by Jordan Rogers. It is important to listen to and understand the voice of dissent because, as Jordan said, it might be right. We are not all alike; we have different views, but we often can find common ground and move forward to find solutions to the problems of society. It is when we fail to try to understand the views of others that we cease to make progress and to learn.