Altruism in Action

"In The Inner World of Abraham Lincoln, biographer Michael Burlingame depicts the period in the the young Lincoln's life when he was rejected by a woman he had hoped to marry and was consumed by serious financial problems. Moreover, he had a childhood history of maternal loss and physical abuse. These factors added to his vulnerability at a difficult period in his life and caused him to suffer severe depression and become preoccupied with suicide.
Lincoln's friends were so concerned that they literally moved in and stayed up with him day and night, after removing knives and guns from his presence. He remained agitated, spoke as if delirious and was sleepless, with recurrent suicidal impulses. His friends maintained a constant vigil for a week or more until the crisis abated. Later, a friend invited Lincoln to live in his lodgings and paid his daily expenses as well as his law school tuition.
Gradually, Abraham Lincoln recovered and, despite other disappointments and depressive recurrences, was able to serve as the sixteenth president of the United States. Licoln held the nation together during the grave crisis of the Civil War--not bad for someone 'weak' enough to suffer suicidal depression!
Throughout his life, Abraham Lincoln exhibited many signs of continued high risk for suicide, including frequent recurrences of severe melancholic depression and suicidal ideation.
How did Lincoln survive well enough to be able to manifest such strength in the service of our nation? What enabled him to get through the periods of high sucide risk when medical and psychological treatment was unavailable? What seemed to be a major factor, as depicted in this biographical sketch of Lincoln, was his capacity to attract empathic and helpful friends and, most important, to accept their help in times of crisis." (New Hope For People With Bipolar Disorder by Jan Fawcett, M.D., Bernard Golden, Ph.D., and Nancy Rosenfeld)

This story of Lincoln's friends moves my heart ..the impact of their friendship affected the course of our nation's history! It is my hope in the new year, and those to come, that I will develop and mature into an altruistic vessel who walks in love and understanding of every person I encounter.