The Other Wes Moore

I first met Wes Moore, the present governor of Maryland, when I invited him to speak to our school community in chapel. He was a relatively unknown then, but he had just written a book, The Other Wes Moore, which I had read which is an incredible story. One of our faculty knew him and arranged to have him come in to speak. I always tried to have examples of leadership and character to be chapel speakers to inspire our students. He is a former businessman, author, and U. S. Army officer. His address was inspiring, and I and others, got a glimpse of where life would take him. He is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, a decorated combat veteran, and a White House Fellow.

He recently has been in the news as he has been attacked by President Trump who Governor Moore refers to as President Bone Spurs and has taken a strong stand against Trump and his presidency. He is now being considered as a candidate for the Office of President in 2028.

One of my passions in life is to learn what makes people do what they do called a Doctrine of Self. It is the bedrock of my ethics course so that students can examine that question and get their own answer fulfilling Socrates dictum, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Who and what changes your life forever? What is there about you that people don’t see? Giving a chapel address changes the perception of the members of our school community to see the whole person and not just their persona. I have many stories to fill a book about that process such as the student who everyone wanted to be like, handsome, academically gifted, significant popularity, and a great athlete. He came to see me and wanted to address chapel. My criterion is always what can you say that no one else can say. What is your story? He wanted to speak about his battle with ongoing depression. When he finished, the students were no longer troubled by that stigma that society has for mental health issues. He became more of a hero than before after his story was told. Students who were depressed got treatment and told me their motivation because his story resonated with them.

So, what would you learn if you read Wes Moore’s book, The Other Wes Moore, which I would highly recommend. One of the most compelling themes in the book is the tension between destiny and personal choice. The two Wes Moores were born into similar circumstances but make different choices. It is the story of two people with the same name who grew up with the same circumstances. One went to prison for life. The other became a Rhodes Scholar.

They both were raised without a father. Both were raised in the most challenging situation hanging out on the same street corners, but Wes Moore realized that the convicted murderer’s story could   have been his. He communicated with the person with the same name for several years via email. But Moore made a different decision based on something that few saw. People who read the book said that they thought it would be mentors who inspired him or the role of women in his life like his mother and grandmother. When asked what changed his life, he didn’t know. For those who have read my memoir, I had the same answer when a guest on the deck of my home on the Chesapeake asked me how I went from Conshohocken and the depression of that town as factory after factory closed to the beautiful view as we both looked out on the Chesapeake Bay. We don't think of ourselves as a narrative that only we can tell.

What changed him was to see the importance of a story in his life. His greatest hope is that the book will inspire and help others see success as a possibility that can result from hard work. He found that story for himself in reading Colin Powell’s biography. But, like Moore, you must have a narrative for your own life, your story that becomes part of you along with people who have supported you and mentored you, but without the story of your own life the other decisions may grow languid.

Moore ends his afterward of his book with the words of a poem by Sir William Earnest Henley, that ends with “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul,” Moore’s story which ironically are the words that has guided Oprah in her life to tell her story as well.

It isn’t a goal. It is a story of expectation which is a dream with words that only you can tell.

I receive a call every so often from a high school classmate who always tells me how his dad and mother loved me and to watch for me as I was going to be somebody who makes a difference. But a few days ago, he added another dimension. He said that sometimes at night when his son, Vince, was in high school he would see a light under his son’s door at 2 AM so one night he opened his son’s door and saw him studying at his desk. My classmate said, “You are the Jim Squire of your school.” His son, Vince, went on to the Air Force Academy where he became a Captain in the Air Force, served in counterintelligence, and now owns fifteen radio stations in Pennsylvania and New York. His story contains the phrase, “Failure is not an option.”

The prophet Isaiah told his story to the Israelites captured by the Babylonians in 580 B. C. another way: “But they who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not grow faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

What’s your story? It is not too late to get one! Wes Moore would agree! His story would make him a great president.