John Adams asked an aging Thomas Jefferson… if given the magical opportunity to live his life again, could he accept the chance- given all of the pitfalls: hindsight, fear, and regret weighing down on his mind…
Jefferson’s optimism proved too much for tempered logic… it burned within his enlightened soul- he responded,
“You ask if I would agree to live my 70. or rather 73. years over again? To which I say Yea. I think with you that it is a good world on the whole, that it has been framed on a principle of benevolence . . . . I steer my bark with Hope in the head, leaving Fear astern.”
With liberty in tow, life is good… optimism such as this is often scoffed at in today’s culture- regret is a passion that drives many to cynicism and ultimately, irrelevance. Jefferson still survives….
Great perspective!
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