Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of
Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of
Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
S<br />
90 politics and governance<br />
Lincoln built his case from sources familiar <strong>to</strong> his audience—<br />
<strong>the</strong> Declaration <strong>of</strong> Independence, <strong>the</strong> Constitution, and <strong>the</strong> Bible.<br />
In doing so, he <strong>to</strong>ok Jefferson’s views on equality <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir logical<br />
conclusion and recast <strong>the</strong> Constitution as <strong>the</strong> foundation for<br />
a truly more perfect union that could protect <strong>the</strong> dignity <strong>of</strong> all<br />
human beings. In our time we can draw on similar sources, but<br />
now much enhanced by o<strong>the</strong>r constitutions and laws and proclamations<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world community. The Universal Declaration <strong>of</strong><br />
Human Rights and <strong>the</strong> Earth Charter, for example, describe an<br />
inclusive political universe that extends a moral covenant <strong>to</strong> all<br />
<strong>the</strong> people <strong>of</strong> Earth and all those yet <strong>to</strong> be born. It is reasonable <strong>to</strong><br />
expand this covenant <strong>to</strong> include <strong>the</strong> wider community <strong>of</strong> life, as<br />
Aldo Leopold once proposed.<br />
Lincoln’s use <strong>of</strong> religion is instructive both for its depth and<br />
for its restraint. He used Biblical imagery and language frequently,<br />
but did not do so <strong>to</strong> castigate Sou<strong>the</strong>rners or <strong>to</strong> infl ate Nor<strong>the</strong>rn<br />
pretensions. His use <strong>of</strong> religion was cautionary, aimed <strong>to</strong> heal, not<br />
divide. Lincoln oriented <strong>the</strong> struggle over slavery in a larger vision<br />
<strong>of</strong> an imperfect nation striving <strong>to</strong> fulfi ll God’s justice on earth.<br />
The message for us is <strong>to</strong> ground <strong>the</strong> issues <strong>of</strong> <strong>climate</strong> change and<br />
sustainability in higher purposes resonant with what is best in <strong>the</strong><br />
world’s great religions but is owned by no one creed.<br />
Because he unders<strong>to</strong>od <strong>the</strong> power <strong>of</strong> language <strong>to</strong> clarify, motivate,<br />
and ennoble, Lincoln used words and verbal imagery more<br />
powerfully and <strong>to</strong> better effect than any o<strong>the</strong>r president. This<br />
wasn’t what we now call “spin” or manipulation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> gullible,<br />
but <strong>the</strong> art <strong>of</strong> persuasion at its best. Lincoln had nei<strong>the</strong>r pollsters<br />
<strong>to</strong> tell him what <strong>to</strong> say nor speechwriters <strong>to</strong> create his message<br />
and calibrate it <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> latest polls. He wrote his own addresses<br />
and letters, and is reported <strong>to</strong> have agonized sometimes for hours<br />
and days <strong>to</strong> fi nd <strong>the</strong> right words <strong>to</strong> say clearly what he intended.<br />
He spoke directly, <strong>of</strong>ten bluntly, but s<strong>of</strong>tened his speeches with<br />
humor and <strong>the</strong> adroit use <strong>of</strong> metaphor and homespun s<strong>to</strong>ries. The<br />
result was <strong>to</strong> place <strong>the</strong> horrors <strong>of</strong> combat and <strong>the</strong> bitterness <strong>of</strong>