Ritual must ring true. Otherwise, hallowed turns too shallow. When leaders rise to the occasion they find (or inspire others to find) words that guide as well as inspire. 

Among the most important things a President (or any leader) does is to set the tone. Great leaders signal a sense of vision & confidence that vision will be achieved. 

Great leaders surround themselves with great people (Trump proved this by doing the reverse.) Today, the world is hailing a young poet (selected by Dr. Jill Biden) who dazzled the world with a stunning performance.  

As ceremonies go, the inauguration of of a new President is among the most sacred events in our democracy. It offers unique opportunities for eloquence that are often squandered.

When does it succeed? Yesterday is an example. A handful of prior inaugurations, always at the swearing in of someone who became a great President, pointed the way. 

Both of Lincoln's inaugurals are gold standards. On the eve of the Civil War he pleaded with Americans to look to "the better angels of our nature." Tone deaf Southerners ignored that appeal leading to the most deaths in our history (more than 600,000) over the next four years. In his second inaugural, Lincoln turned away from revenge & intoned …with malice toward none & charity toward all."

To a nation terrified by the Great Depression Franklin Roosevelt said, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself…"

in 1961 John F. Kennedy's thrilled Americans with the line "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country."

On January 20, 2021, our newly minted President, Joe Biden rose to address a nation caught not in one crisis like a Civil War or Depression, but multiple disasters: COVID-19, racial unrest, widespread poverty & joblessness, a globe warming so rapidly the future of the world is jeopardized. 

Words will not solve these problems but can help. Healing language came from the lips of the President. Then a very young (22) Amanda Gordon, who once would have been barred from the ceremony, delivered an inaugural poem of stunning power. Inside over a hundred lines were verses I highlighted for you below:

We lay down our arms
so we can reach out our arms
to one another
We seek harm to none and harmony for all

& her concluding verses:

If we merge mercy with might,
and might with right,
then love becomes our legacy

The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it

Poetry & prayers are among the least read & heard forms of communication. Yet, Rev. Silvester Beeman managed to capture our ears with his stirring benediction:

"In you, God, we discover our humanity. In our humanity we discover our commonness…We will befriend the lonely, the least common, the left out…Lest we miss kingdom's goal."  

Yes. We reach kingdom's goal by being "brave enough to see it…brave enough to be it."

This is the goal for all of us, especially America's brave & compassionate caregivers. Today, they can once again look to the White House for inspiration. 

-Erie Chapman