Hey y’all, it’s been a hot minute, huh? Well, not really. Even though I haven’t written in 2 and a half months, I still have posts scheduled every 2 weeks. I watched Hamilton the other day. I originally watched it just so I could say I watched it. However, part way through, I realized that it was kind of amazing, so I watched it again, and it was!
So then I watched it again… and again…. and I’ll watch it again on my next day off. I would have aced the subject if all History was taught through amazing musicals like that. There were a few parts that stuck with me.
Every second King George was on stage was fabulous. I think what made him such a stand-out character is that the storyline is so serious and sometimes sad. When you have a plot like that, the character in charge of comic relief always stands out more. One line I really fell in love with was something Washington’s character said.
Hamilton was ready to die from the minute he finished college. It wasn’t in a “life is meaningless” way. Given his back story, he just wasn’t expecting to live a long life, so he wanted to make the most of every second to make his time worthwhile. One day Washington tells him,
“Dying is easy young man. Living is harder.”
George Washington (Hamilton)
It’s so true. Living is hard! It takes even more courage than dying does. Whenever someone died, it made me so sad. Especially if it was someone who wasn’t supposed to be dead, like Chester Bennington or Moonbin. I think Hamilton didn’t see the value of life. There’s this one song where the cast sings about him…
How do you write like tomorrow won't arrive? How do you write like you need it to survive? How do you write every second you're alive? Every second you're alive, Every second you're alive
I think the fundamental difference between Hamilton and Burr is that Hamilton wasn’t going to wait for it. He would make the most of every second and contribute as much as he could to this world. Burr didn’t live for the moment. I think he thought things out, and his actions and words were more calculated than Hamilton’s.
Perhaps Burr felt a hint of jealousy. He thought Hamilton was careless and immature, but somehow everything seemed to work out for him. Burr thought that contemplating and planning was how you got to the top, but it wasn’t working for him like he thought it would. I wasn’t alive then. I didn’t know either of them, but if I were Burr, I would want to punch Hamilton in the face for what Professor McGonagall called “sheer dumb luck.”
As much as I would love to say I could relate to Hamilton, I think it’s Burr that I relate to the most. I’ve always spent my life planning, trying to do the right thing, say the right thing, and play my cards right.
It’s hard to see the Hamiltons of this world just living it up. Getting all the recognition, all the love, and all that stuff that I’ve spent my whole life trying to get. I think he overreacted A LOT, but I can see his point of view. It seems like the people who deserve the least get the most, and those who deserve the most get the least.
Not that Hamilton didn’t deserve it, but it seems like he got a free ride. Until his son died, everything always just seemed to go his way. Burr was working like mad, and he just couldn’t seem to reach Hamilton’s level, and that’s when this next song comes up…
Hamilton doesn't hesitate He exhibits no restraint He takes, and he takes, and he takes And he keeps winning anyway He changes the game He plays, and he raises the stakes And if there's a reason He seems to thrive when so few survive, then ***damnit I'm willing to wait for it (Wait for it) I'm willing to wait for it Life doesn't discriminate Between the sinners and the saints It takes and it takes, and it takes And we keep living anyway We rise (and we fall) We fall (and we break) And we make our mistakes And if there's a reason I'm still alive When so many have died Then I'm willin' to- Wait for it (Wait for it, wait for it)
Some of the best people leave us too soon. Far too soon. It’s hard because losing someone who made the world such a bright place feels like you just get left in the dark. Life doesn’t discriminate between the sinners and the saints. It takes and it takes, and it takes. And there’s nothing we can do about it. But if we are still here, it’s for a reason.
Not everyone will always have luck on their side like Hamilton seemed to, and if we don’t, then we have to wait for it. Our time will come if we keep striving. It’s not always going to go our way, and there will always be people out there who have beautiful lives, whether we think they deserve them or not. That’s none of my business anyway.
I don’t know how historically accurate the musical is. I really don’t care, but I feel bad for Burr. He spent so much time trying to keep up with Hamilton instead of making his own path. Eventually, his anger and hatred became too much for him to deal with. We’ll never really know what happened back then, but I do know that I’m not Hamilton. And if there’s a reason I’m still alive when so many have died, I’m willing to wait for it.
Thanks for reading, everyone! I hope you my Hamilton Life Lesson, and I hope you are having a good week. My boss told me today she’s very impressed with how well I’m doing after just 2 weeks. It made me glad to hear because I had been worried that I wasn’t picking things up fast enough. It’s different from what I had been doing, but I’m slowly catching on. Anyway, hang in there, and have a great week!!!
Sincerely,
LIBD