Choir Notes

Conquer With Kindness

From Music and the Spoken Word

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell • Program 4321

President Abraham Lincoln led America through the ravages of the Civil War with dignity and grace. In his second inaugural address, as the South was collapsing in the last of the battles, Lincoln called for "malice toward none” and "charity for all.”1 In essence, he spoke of showing kindness in the most difficult of circumstances.

Kindness is relatively easy to practice when all is going well. To show kindness at difficult and stressful times is to allow the heart to govern what we do. Kindness is a language of its own, a power, a strength of character, a way of life—and these days it seems so often in short supply.

President Lincoln did more than just speak publicly of kindness; it guided his private interactions as well. He once instructed an army commander regarding the punishment of a Confederate officer: "My dear General, . . . do nothing in reprisal for the past—only what is necessary to ensure security for the future. I remind you,” he continued, "that we are not fighting against a foreign foe, but our brothers, and that our aim is not to break their spirits but only to bring back their allegiance. Conquer them with kindness—let that be our policy.”2

Lincoln’s policy can be our policy. We can rise above anger and be gentle with the young, considerate of the aged, tolerant with those who rankle us, and patient with those who stumble or charge at lightning speed. We can smile rather than point fingers. We can offer a listening ear rather than a cold shoulder. We can forget about past wrongs and go forward shaping and reshaping relationships. We can proffer a compliment. And, yes, we can even let someone ahead of us on the road or in the grocery line.

We can "conquer with kindness,” and we will positively influence our corner of the world.

1 In Lewis Copeland and others, eds., The World’s Great Speeches, 4th ed. (1999), 317. 
2 In David K. Hatch, comp., Everyday Greatness: Inspiration for a Meaningful Life (2006), 41.