Nobody is Self-Made

Of course nobody is truly self-made. We have all had help and that is clear. But why do we choose to remember all that Lincoln didn't have? Everybody knows about the log cabin and the rail-splitting. But why don't as many people know about his step-mother? I am fascinated by that relationship but you never hear about it the way you hear about the bad parts of Lincoln's life. I understand that it is more interesting to hear a rags to riches type of story, but I wonder why as many people aren't interested in Lincoln's relationship with his step-mother. Not many people have had a parent who was as encouraging and inspiring as it sounds like she was. I think this played a big role in Lincoln's self-education and success. I wonder how successful Lincoln would have been if his step-mother never came into his life.

What If Lincoln Was Depressed?

Some people think Lincoln may have suffered from depression. If he truly was depressed, how would he have acheived all that he did? I don't think a "self-made man" really can be depressed. Since depression typically affects people's motivation, it seems really unlikely to me that Lincoln was actually depressed. I guess that's another way Lincoln got lucky- he had motivation to work hard and educate himself.

Sophrosyne and Meat-Eating

Today, when I was in the cafeteria, I was thinking about veganism/vegetarianism. They have a lot of fake meat in the cafeteria (imitation chicken, etc). If eating meat is inherently wrong, is it sophrosynic to eat this imitation meat? My initial thought was no because, if you are naturally inclined to do the right thing, then you wont need to trick yourself with fake meat. What do you all think?

Lincoln as a Self-Made Man

I was interested in our discussion the other day about whether Lincoln would have been elected President today, having no formal education. I agree that America would not elect someone without a college education to be President. However, if Lincoln had existed today, I think maybe he would have a college degree. Today, the idea of a "self-made man" often involves working really hard in school to get a scholarship to college. Lincoln probably would have been able to go to college today, maybe through scholarships and loans. I thought Jamie made a good point in class when she said that it was contradictory how although we idealize the "self-made man", we probably wouldn't elect somebody who was self-educated the way Lincoln was. I think we only appreciate self-made men if they follow a certain path. We want self-made men to choose to go to college and get a good job. If somebody else's idea of a self-made man is living off the grid, or working a minimum wage job, we don't celebrate that, even though it may have been "self-made" (they came to it on their own, didn't get help achieving it from anybody else).