Presidential virtue

Time was, when being president meant being the paragon of moral values. In fact, I remember that as a young boy, when we were taught lessons in virtue, the examples of virtuous people were always those who had served as presidents in the past.

Take for example, the story (though some say it is a myth rather than a real tale) of George Washington and the cherry tree.

“The cherry tree myth is the most well-known and longest enduring legend about George Washington. In the original story, when Washington was six years old, he received a hatchet as a gift and damaged his father’s cherry tree. When his father discovered what he had done, he became angry and confronted him. Young George bravely said, “I cannot tell a lie…I did cut it with my hatchet.” Washing- ton’s father embraced him and rejoiced that his son’s honesty was worth more than a thousand trees.” (Cherry Tree Myth, Jay Richardson, George Mason University, www.mountvernon.org)

Or what about the acts that earned President Abraham Lincoln the moniker of “Honest Abe?”

“In managing the country store, as in everything that he undertook for others, Lincoln did his very best. He was honest, civil, ready to do anything that should encourage customers to come to the place, full of pleasantries, patient, and alert.

On one occasion, finding late at night, when he counted over his cash, that he had taken a few cents from a customer more than was due, he closed the store, and walked a long distance to make good the deficiency. At another time, discovering on the scales in the morning a weight with which he had weighed out a package of tea for a woman the night before, he saw that he had given her too little for her money. He weighed out what was due, and carried it to her, much to the surprise of the woman, who had not known that she was short in the amount of her purchase.” (Why Lincoln Was Called “Honest Abe,” Noah Brook, www.first-school.ws)

How surreal does it get, therefore, when in today’s world, being president does not exactly call for one to be as virtuous as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln? Donald Trump, president of the United States and all, must be making both ex-presidents turn in their graves.

For what could be more cringe-worthy than a president who, speaking before the largest gathering of Boy Scouts in the whole of America, then proceeds to tell them all manner of despicable lies about his opponents? Boy Scouts—he should have known if he ever was one in his sheltered childhood—have being “honest” as a paramount virtue in their creed. And here comes their president who has never grown up into a real man, telling them all manner of things that only exist in his parallel universe.

And, as the cherry (pardon the reference to George Washington’s story) on the sundae, he even recounts to them a story of a successful person (presumably him, in a thinly veiled disguise) who takes a load of girls on his boat, and does all manner of unspeakable and illegal things with them in international waters, to avoid prosecution under US laws.

What could be more despicable and unpresidential than that?

But then, who are we to complain? At least, Trump presumably takes only women who consent to the activities that he has planned for them (not that it makes things totally OK). Our very own leader, judging by his predilection for telling all manner of “rape jokes”—prefers to do things the good old-fashioned Neanderthal way—by brute force.

How surreal does it getwhen, in today’s world, being president does not exactly call for one to be virtuous?

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