The More Things Change…
Whilst casting around for inspiration for today’s post, I decided to google “on this day” and was pleasantly surprised to discover that on the 2nd July 1776, the Congressional Congress determined that, “these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be Free and Independent States.”
And this, of course, made me think of Hamilton.
Cue several hours of me scrambling down a Wikipedia rabbit hole about the historic Hamilton and Burr and their beef. For those of you unfamiliar with either US history or the award-winning Broadway musical, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr were long-time political rivals. Hamilton scuppered Burr’s campaigns for the 1800 presidency and the 1804 New York gubernatorial election (the later is not mentioned in the musical). This lead to a lot of “he said/she said” letters from various third parties about how Hamilton thought Burr was a terrible person who was only out for himself and not fit for office. All this shenaniganery culminated in Burr challenging Hamilton to a duel, further establishing America’s time-honoured tradition of solving everything with guns.
Whilst I don’t think adding duelling to modern political discourse is the answer in the year of our Lord 2025, it was refreshing to read about at least one political heavy-weight who valued integrity and principles over popularism in their time. The quote that stood out most to me was from a letter Hamilton wrote to a friend. Imagining Burr as president, he wrote, “Mr. Burr will probably make stipulations, but he will laugh in his sleeve while he makes them and will break them the first moment it may serve his purpose.”
If reality TV had been invented, this lot would have killed it. Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Reading this observation of Hamilton’s, I can’t help but to draw parallels to the politicians of today. It's no wonder so many people feel apathetic and powerless. But I don't think this opportunist behaviour is found only in politics. We find it in business, too. How many US companies rolled back their DIE initiatives before policy compelled them? How quickly did Google, who for years cultivated an image of being “not like the other tech corporations”, change the name of The Gulf of Mexico on Google Maps?
I believe this extends to us as individuals too, though in a more subtle, less globally impactful way. I'm sure anyone reading this has had the following conversation: a friend/colleague/family member is outraged by XYZ and as soon as you suggest possible solutions they scoff, “I can’t be bothered. What's the point? It won't change anything.”
I'm not saying this out of judgement. And I'm not saying it's easy. Being principled in a world engineered to make us ignore our principles for the sake of comfort is hard.
Boycotting Amazon.
Being vegan.
Choosing public transport.
These things are not the easy choice. But if you care about workers rights, animal rights, or reducing your carbon footprint, then living in alignment with your principles and values means doing these things (or other aligned actions) if and when you can.
I'm not saying you should care about any or all of the above, although I do. And, to be clear, this isn't about saving the world or being the perfect activist or an activist at all. It's about being principled. Being authentic. Being true to yourself.
If you've seen Hamilton the show, you'll know that Hamilton the man is far from perfect (he’s not winning Husband of the Year - iykyk). But we route for him because he knows what he stands for. He doesn't just write about it. He lives it unapologetically. And whilst Burr is a character I'd love to play, he's that last person in the show I'd want to be.
Until tomorrow, amigos.
M x
P.S. If you’ve reached this postscript and want more sweet, sweet Hamilton content from me, good news! I have two Hamilton-themed videos on my YouTube channel. Check them out below (or not, I’m not your supervisor).