Originally published 9 February 2021.
In July of 2020, Disney+ made a filmed version of the hit Broadway musical, Hamilton, available to its subscribers. Some cursory online research tells me that by mid-July, 2.7 million households had watched the show. I don’t know how accurate that is, because I’m only quoting one source, but the point is, people love this show. I am one of those people.
I first watched it because people at work kept telling me I “had to.” On my first viewing, I wasn’t enamored with it. I acknowledged the skill of the writing, acting, and singing, and got a kick out of King George III, but that was about it.
But then I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Songs kept popping into my head at odd times. I watched it again the next weekend and have been hooked ever since.
Why am I telling you this? Am I trying to get you to watch Hamilton like everyone else? Well, if you haven’t watched it yet, then yes I am. You have to. But aside from that, there are things we can learn from Hamilton, and more specifically, from its two main characters.
Obviously, Alexander Hamilton is main character number one. He wants to build a legacy for himself, to prove himself to a world that had been cruel to him as he grew up. Main character number two is his foil, Aaron Burr. He too, is trying to make a name for himself, but he goes about it very differently from Hamilton. Their personalities constantly clash, culminating in the infamous duel that ended Hamilton’s life. (And that was not a spoiler, it’s in the history books and was featured in a hilarious milk commercial in 1993.)
So what can we learn from these two men? I would put forth that these men faced so much difficulty because each one represents an extreme.
Hamilton was bold, brash, sometimes abrasive, and was constantly going after what he wanted, heedless of the possible consequences. His defining song is called “My Shot,” and he repeats a line from that song throughout the show: “I am not throwing away my shot!” He speaks his mind bluntly and immediately at every opportunity, which worked for him most of the time, but also eventually caused heartache for him and his family.
Burr, by contrast, was slow and measured. He analyzed situations, kept his thoughts and feelings close to his chest, and kept other people at arm’s length. His defining song is called “Wait for It,” in which he states, “I’m not falling behind or running late; I’m not standing still, I am lying in wait.” That line brings to mind imagery of a lion, staring through tall grass at possible prey. It lies, body taut and poised for action, eyes locked on its prey, unmoving. And when the moment is right, it explodes into action, leaping from its hiding place and striking with deadly precision to claim its meal. Lin Manuel Miranda, who wrote the entire show, has said that the difference between the two men can be seen clearly here. “Can you imagine Alexander Hamilton waiting for [expletive] anything?” he asked rhetorically.
But the problem that both of these men had is that they didn’t seem to realize that waiting doesn’t have to mean inaction, and action doesn’t have to mean there is no thought. In the end, to be truly effective in life, we must know when it is best to be still and wait, like Burr, and when it is appropriate to be bold and brash like Hamilton. Sometimes we will need to speak up and say what needs to be said, and sometimes we’ll need to hold our tongues. We won’t always get it right. There are times we’ll act or speak when we should have been still, and times we’ll wait too long and miss an opportunity.
Even in the Bible, we’re taught that there are times to be like Hamilton and times to be like Burr. When God gives us an order, we must be Hamiltonian in our response. We must immediately say yes, and take action according to what God has told us to do. God’s plan will be accomplished with or without us, but in delaying or disobeying, we will have “thrown away our shot” to play a part in His glorious plan. But there will also be times when the best thing we can do is to “be still and know that [God is] God.” When we’ve been wronged, we mustn’t rush to execute vengeance, we must wait on the Lord. When faced with a big decision, we shouldn’t leap at the first thing that seems right, but rather wait and pray, and find out what God wants us to do.
Ecclesiates 3:1–8 tells us that to everything there is a season. It goes on to say that, among many other contrasting times, there is a time to keep silence and a time to speak. So there it is. There is a time to be like Burr, and there is a time to be like Hamilton. But instead of pitting those times against one another, leading to heartache and death as in the show, let’s all seek to be like both Hamilton and Burr. Be still and wait, but don’t wait forever. There is a time to every purpose under heaven.
