The Gettysburg Address

On Thursday, November 19, 1863, the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln gave a speech in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The speech is now famously known as The Gettysburg Address [1].

I'll explain the last sentence of the speech, which reads, " ... this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

1. this nation:
• Nation means people who are united in a common goal, for example, people who are united in mutual bestowal, seeking to benefit others instead of themselves.
2. under God:
• The One True God, The Infinite God, The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
3. shall have a new birth of freedom:
• Shall be born into the quality of bestowal and be free of the quality of selfishness.
4. and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people:
• We'll be connected in mutual bestowal, seeking to benefit others instead of ourselves. In this way, our entire society will be governed by each and every one of us, we'll be connected in mutual bestowal, engaging in actions that benefit others, for the benefit of others.
5. shall not perish from the earth:
• We'll establish a new society based on mutual bestowal and that society shall remain forever.

Today we're immersed in selfishness, seeking to benefit ourselves. We need to change from personal selfishness to mutual bestowal. In everything we do, we should seek to benefit others instead of ourselves.

_________

References:

1. Gettysburg Address. www.en.wikipedia.org. Retrieved Aug 17, 2014.

Copyright © 2014, Carter Kagume. All Rights Reserved.