Tales of Two Men

Last weekend I had plenty of driving time down and back to Death Valley. And since I was alone, there were no negotiations on what played on the iPod. So I decided to listen to a few audiobooks. On the way down, Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin, about the political leadership style of Abraham Lincoln. This was recommended to me some time ago and I’ve been waiting for the right time to listen. On the way home it was Bob Spitz’s biography of The Beatles, which was on my iPod when I bought it, and one of the few book-length choices that I had available.

I was struck by the enormous contrast between the two. I have read some about Lincoln before, but prior to this had never really appreciated him as man. Beyond his intelligence and sagacity, he was a man of extraordinary character and goodness—good-natured, humorous, forgiving, long-suffering, patient, kind and considerate. I was humbled as I listened to his story, and deeply saddened when it came to his assassination, for the world lost too early one of its noblest souls.

Listening to The Beatles provided some interesting background to their music, which I have enjoyed and admired since I was a kid. The White Album was one of my first, and Hey Jude was an early favorite that I learned on the piano. But I must admit to being disappointed in discovering them as people, and particularly John Lennon, often considered the soul of the group. Lennon was certainly a gifted songwriter and the catalyst for the development of the band. But he was also a cruel, arrogant and insecure individual whose penchant for hard drugs and later heroin addiction squeezed out his humanity and left him and Yoko parading as symbols and seeking publicity and attention at every turn. It is a sad and unfortunate story, and one that I rather wish I had not wasted my time on.

It’s too bad that we look for so many of our “heroes” in the world of pop culture. There are great people among us, and many more to be found in history. Listening to Abraham Lincoln’s story inspired me to be a better person, and I would be wise to spend more of my study in that direction. John Lennon’s story went the other way, glamorous and successful but morally empty. What we read, what we listen to, turns out to be an important decision. I’ve certainly had my fill of pablum at the expense of more fulfilling options. And unfortunately, I can’t go back. But now in hindsight I see how readily I have sacrificed my mental and spiritual health by partaking of demoralizing junk food and popular swill.