A Lesson from Hamilton

PRESIDENT'S COLUMN

Finding the Right Path to Follow

BY AMANDA ARRIAGA, TEXAS CASA

Those of you who know me, know I love musicals. I had the great fortune to see Hamilton in New York with the original Broadway cast while it was in previews and before everyone knew what a phenomenon it would become. At that time, all I knew is that it was the new hip-hop musical. I didn’t know that it would have so many stories of triumph and tragedy.

Alexander Hamilton was an outsider who spoke up for what he believed in. Throughout his life, he shaped history with his great ideas, boundless energy, and fancy talking by questioning why things were done.

If you hadn’t studied the Founding Fathers before watching Hamilton, you might have been surprised by some of the things that unfolded throughout the musical, like I was. Because of the “Got Milk?” commercials from the ‘90s, I knew that Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel, but I didn’t know why. One of the most tragic scenes in the show is when you get to the end where Alexander Hamilton is just living his life, having survived a political scandal and the loss of a son. Someone asked his opinion about who should be the next president of the United States, and he provided it.

Aaron Burr was a lawyer. If he was around now, he could have benefitted from the Texas Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP).

His response caused a reaction he didn’t expect. Aaron Burr decided Hamilton kept him from the room where it happened. Again. He seethed and recounted a list of alleged grievances he believed Hamilton had caused him since they were in college. Hamilton wasn’t living in that anger. He acknowledged they had disagreements, but it didn’t impact his everyday life. Burr, instead, stewed in his unwarranted vitriol and hatred for Hamilton, decided it was time for revenge, and challenged him to a duel.

Don’t wait until you are in Weehawken at dawn, with a pistol, ready to duel with someone else, or yourself. Recognize that the world is wide enough for all of us before you become the villain in our history books.

Aaron Burr was a lawyer. If he was around now, he could have benefitted from the Texas Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP). You can get help from TLAP 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling or texting 1-800-343-TLAP. Please ask for help before the duel begins. AL

Amanda Arriaga