Make Inauguration Day meaningful

author, scholar, lecturer and grandson of the late president, has said that an inaugural address has a somewhat timeless quality to it.

“First, it stands as an appraisal of the new president’s interpretation of that political moment, encompassing the meaning of the recent election and where that election points the nation,” he wrote four years ago for the Annenberg School for Communication. “Second, a president faces a choice, and that is whether to lead or to unite.”

President-elect Donald Trump has said he intends to unite when he speaks on Monday after reciting the oath of office. Some people are skeptical 

In this Jan. 20, 2017, file photo, President-elect Donald Trump arrives during the 58th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. 

In this Jan. 20, 2017, file photo, President-elect Donald Trump arrives during the 58th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. | Carolyn Kaster

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David Eisenhower, author, scholar, lecturer and grandson of the late president, has said that an inaugural address has a somewhat timeless quality to it.

“First, it stands as an appraisal of the new president’s interpretation of that political moment, encompassing the meaning of the recent election and where that election points the nation,” he wrote four years ago for the Annenberg School for Communication. “Second, a president faces a choice, and that is whether to lead or to unite.”

President-elect Donald Trump has said he intends to unite when he speaks on Monday after reciting the oath of office. Some people are skeptical about that, given his speaking style and his vow to issue many executive orders later that day. But some of his advisers told NBC News he is sincere, and that he wants to take advantage of his unique position, having finished the last presidential campaign he is allowed under the Constitution.

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If so, he could do worse than to look toward the man whose holiday will be shared with Inauguration Day this year — the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. In fact, if Americans watching the inauguration truly long for a more united nation, they could study King, as well.

“Whenever I looked at Dr. King, despite being at the center of the fight for civil rights, his face always looked peaceful,” Stephen Sideroff wrote for Psychology Today. “Above everything else, he believed in the power of love. Perhaps his greatest message was the primacy of love and empathy.”

Sideroff said King understood what science only now is beginning to fully understand. “Love and gratitude are shortcuts to experiencing a state of balance.”

Americans don’t need a speech in Washington to nudge them in this direction. A much more meaningful act would be for each person to privately resolve to inaugurate a new life based on these principles, making sure to apply that love and gratitude especially to those who differ with them politically.