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O P I N I O N
Lessons from the past
I ’ve finally gotten around to reading John Adams , the acclaimed 2002 biography by David McCullough, which was the basis for the 2008 television miniseries on the life and times of the second president of the United States. In a time of polarization and crass tribalism, don’t forget the founding norms of respect and civility. It’ll be good for you, your firm, and your clients.
by the leaders, taking on the job of uniting America around well-thought-out and agreed- upon principles of governance: Rule of Law, a two-house legislature, an elected executive with veto power, and a judiciary made up of judges appointed for life. It’s all there in the Declaration of Independence and Adams’ draft for the Massachusetts Constitution. Granted, those were simpler times with fewer “The principles that come from that generation of Americans had to do with decency as they debated and fought amongst themselves to win – ultimately not for themselves, but for a nation.”
As I read the wonderful quotes from Adams’ writings and journals, along with the insights from other Founding Fathers such as Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, I’m struck by the lessons many of today’s leaders need to learn (or re-learn). It’s both instructive and inspirational to see how these men approached, debated, and collaborated as they made the decision to declare independence from England. It is Adams’ brilliance, humanity, and courage that make me wish we had statesmen today with similar levels of civility and respect displayed almost 250 years ago. The principles that come from that generation of Americans had to do with decency as they debated and fought amongst themselves to win – ultimately not for themselves, but for a nation. After all, this was an era filled with much of the same polarization we observe today in a divisive, hyper-political environment. The difference centuries ago was the civility exhibited
Edward Friedrichs
See EDWARD FRIEDRICHS, page 10
THE ZWEIG LETTER October 29, 2018, ISSUE 1270
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