As we look forward to the future with the 117th Congress and the Biden Administration, Ƶ looks to the past for guidance and inspiration.
On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln addressed those gathered for the dedication of the new soldiers’ cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The nation was deeply divided over slavery, states’ rights, the role of a Federal government, economic security, and personal liberty. Relying heavily on the ideals of the Declaration of Independence, Lincoln built a narrative for national reconciliation, which he delivered in 272 words.
Many of us learned the first 29 words in elementary school: “Fourscore and seven years ago…” However, within the next 243 are two ideas that give us guidance for today.
The first has to do with endurance; Lincoln wondered whether the Union could “endure.” Last spring, the columnist David Brooks wrote, “Endurance is fortifying. It is discovering you can get socked in the nose and take it. Above all, endurance is living with uncertainty. … Endurance is the knowledge that the only way out is through and whatever must be borne will be borne.”
Our profession will endure since there will always be a need to provide people with quality projects. Our members will endure since you have weathered other storms and have responded innovatively and resiliently. Ƶ will endure because we are planning for the next decade and beyond to be a trusted resource to the construction management profession and the industry.
Lincoln also challenged his listeners to dedicate themselves to the “great task remaining before us.” For Ƶ, that great task, among others, is to work collaboratively with you, our members, and the members of related professional societies to achieve our common goals for the future of our national infrastructure and the industry.
We are in this together. I look forward to working with all of you.
I welcome your comments and thoughts at president@cmaanet.org.