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When I was in Grade 7 (yes, there was a Grade 7 in my elementary school days), our School Principal picked me to deliver a poem on one of our monthly programs. The title of the poem was " A Psalm of Life" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Being young then, I didn't understand, nor did I care to understand what the poem was all about. I just followed my Principal's instructions. I memorized the poem and I was sure I could recite it the way I was taught. But when the occasion came, I fell ill and couldn't attend the program. I was so sad that I disapponted my Principal and my English teacher. But they understood what happened to me and excused me.
Years passed and one day I came across that poem, "A Psalm of Life" in a book called Treasury of Poems. (I love poems and I even wrote a few). I began to read it and memories of my elementary school days flashed like a bolt of lightning in my mind. I read and reread it and only at that time did I come to understand the messages of that beloved poem. There are great lessons we can derive from that poem. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow had written a lot of poems but the one that left an indelible mark in my mind was this poem, "A Psalm of Life."
It's a long poem, but let me quote a few stanzas which really left an unforgettable imprint in my mind.
"Tell me, not in mournful numbers, lIfe is but an empty dream,
For the soul is dead that slumbers, and life is not what it seems."
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Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal;
"Dust thou art, to dust returneth" was not spoken of thy soul.
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Trust no Future howe'er pleasant! Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act, act in the living Present, Heart within and God o'erhead.
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Lives of great men all remind us we can make our lives sublime,
And departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of Time.
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Footprints that perhaps another, Sailling o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again.
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Let us then, be up and doing, With a heart for any fate,
Still achieving, still pursuing, learn to labor and to wait.
Isn't that beautiful? what awe-inspiring messages! What lovely lessons!
Let's tackle the second stanza first: "...Dust thou art, to dust returneth was not spoken of thy soul."
This reinforces my belief that we are not just physical bodies, made up of bones, muscles and blood. As many philosophers and visionaries tried to teach us, we are spiritual beings having a human experience. Many people work hard to accumulate a big bank account, big houses, latest model of cars, beautiful furniture, and fill their houses with so many unnecessary junks just to show off and to keep up with the Jones'es. Some even go to the extent of maximizing their credit cards just to buy a lot of stuffs which they do not really need, and then would have sleepless nights thinking how they could pull themselves out of debt. Some work day and night so that they would be able to pay off their debts, and could not enjoy their beautiful homes and all the things in it because they are already tired.They sacrifice their health and well being in the name of so called "prosperity". They think that possessing an abundance of material things will make them happy, but are they? Really happy? Think about it.
Now, don't get me wrong. Of course we all need money to buy the things we need as we live on this earth. That's a given. But to think that acquiring all those material things are the be-all and end-all of life is quite erroneous. When we leave this earth, (as sooner or later we will) we will not be able to take all these possessions with us.
When I think about the life of Jesus christ, of Buddha, of Mahatma Ghandi, of Henry David Thoreau, and of the Dalai Lama, I come to realize that simple living is more desirable than a life of opulence. Jesus Christ said, " Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust doeth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal...Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust doeth not corrupt...and where thieves do not break in and steal, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also... what doeth a man profiteth if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?"
Buddha gave up all his wealth, his ostentatious life and devoted the rest of it in teaching his students the cause of man's sufferings. Mahatma Ghandi had no possessions, garbed only in loin cloth, but was able to free his nation from the shackles of British domination. Henry David Thoreau retreated to Walden Pond to live a life of simplicity. The Dalai Lama says, " I believe that if someone really wants a happy life, then it is very important to pursue both internal and external development. One could also say "spiritual development", but when i say "spiritual development", I do not necessarly mean any kind of religious faith. When I use the word "spiritual" i mean basic human good qualities. These are human affection, a sense of involvement, honesty, discipline and human intelligence guided by good motivation."
Now to the next stanza: "Trust no future, howe'er pleasant, Let the dead Past bury its dead. Act, act in the living Present, Heart within and God o'erhead."
This is a most interesting postulate. It means to live and enjoy the present moment, the Here and Now because in the meantime, as human beings, this is the only time that we live on this earth. As it is said, the Present is a gift, that is why it's called the Present. The past is gone, the future is yet to come. We might have committed some mistakes in the past (who hasn't?) but to dwell on them is pointless. Let's forget the past and strive hard not to commit the same mistakes, and move on. "Act, act in the living Present, Heart within and God o'erhead." Act to help our fellow beings who need help in every way possible, give from our hearts, with love, aware that God above sees and knows that we give unselfishly, thus following Jesus Christ's commandment to love one another. 1st Corinthians 13:13...."And so abideth these three: Faith, Hope and Love. But the greatest of these is Love."
And for the future, here's what Jesus Christ has to say: Do not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Enough said.
The next stanza: "Lives of great men all remind us, we can make our lives sublime, And departing, leave behind us, footprints on the sands of Time. Footprints, that perhaps another, Sailing o'er life's solemn main, A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again.
Life on this earth is ephemeral. As I said, sooner or later we will leave this earth. When we leave, what legacy will we leave to our loved ones and to the world in general? Have we made our lives "'sublime and leave behind us footprints on the sands of TIM? Have lived our lives in such a way that our children will emulate us, that we have taught them virtues that they in turn will teach their children? Virtues that will sustain them as they travel their journey in this topsy-turvy world? Will someone, a "forlorn and shipwrecked brother" who knew that as we lived, we have been courageous to face all adversities, that we have overcome all difficulties and pushed on till we have attained victory, be brave enough to "take heart again"?
Finally the last stanza: "Let us then, be up and doing, with a heart for any fate; Still achieving, till pursuing, Learn to labor and to wait."
Not all the money in the world, not fame or forutne can give us that peace of mind that we all yearn for. Let us press on, let us labor and wait, until we attain that "peace of God which passeth all understanding."
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