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...And one of the Elders of the city said,
"Speak to us of Good and Evil."
And he answered:"Of the Good in you I can speak,
but not of the Evil.
For what is Evil
but Good tortured
by its own hunger and thirst ?"
_______________________
"Speak to us of Good and Evil."
And he answered:"Of the Good in you I can speak,
but not of the Evil.
For what is Evil
but Good tortured
by its own hunger and thirst ?"
_______________________
Good and Evil by Kahlil Gibran
(1883 - 1931)
And one of the Elders of the city said,
"Speak to us of Good and Evil."
And he answered:
"Speak to us of Good and Evil."
And he answered:
"Of the Good in you I can speak,
but not of the Evil.
For what is Evil
but Good tortured
by its own hunger and thirst?
Truly, when Good is hungry
it seeks food even in dark caves,
and when it thirsts
it drinks even of dead waters.
but not of the Evil.
For what is Evil
but Good tortured
by its own hunger and thirst?
Truly, when Good is hungry
it seeks food even in dark caves,
and when it thirsts
it drinks even of dead waters.
You are Good when you
are one with yourself.
Yet when you are not one
with yourself you are not Evil.
For a divided house is not
a den of thieves; it is only a divided house.
And a ship without rudder may wander aimlessly
among perilous isles yet sink not to the bottom.
are one with yourself.
Yet when you are not one
with yourself you are not Evil.
For a divided house is not
a den of thieves; it is only a divided house.
And a ship without rudder may wander aimlessly
among perilous isles yet sink not to the bottom.
You are Good when you
strive to give of yourself.
Yet you are not Evil
when you seek gain for yourself.
For when you strive for gain you are but a root
that clings to the earth and sucks at her breast.
Surely the fruit cannot say to the root, "Be like me,
ripe and full and ever giving of your abundance."
For the fruit giving is a need,
as receiving is a need to the root.
strive to give of yourself.
Yet you are not Evil
when you seek gain for yourself.
For when you strive for gain you are but a root
that clings to the earth and sucks at her breast.
Surely the fruit cannot say to the root, "Be like me,
ripe and full and ever giving of your abundance."
For the fruit giving is a need,
as receiving is a need to the root.
You are Good when you
are fully awake in your speech,
Yet you are not Evil when you are half asleep
while your tongue staggers without purpose.
And even stumbling speech
may strengthen a weak tongue.
are fully awake in your speech,
Yet you are not Evil when you are half asleep
while your tongue staggers without purpose.
And even stumbling speech
may strengthen a weak tongue.
You are Good when you
walk to your goal firmly and with bold steps.
Yet you are not Evil when you go there limping.
Even those who limp go not backward.
But you who are strong and swift, just see that you
do not limp in front of the lame, deeming it kindness.
walk to your goal firmly and with bold steps.
Yet you are not Evil when you go there limping.
Even those who limp go not backward.
But you who are strong and swift, just see that you
do not limp in front of the lame, deeming it kindness.
You are Good in countless ways,
and you are not Evil when you are not Good,
You are only lazy and loitering, a sluggard and a slacker.
Pity that the stags cannot teach swiftness to the turtles.
and you are not Evil when you are not Good,
You are only lazy and loitering, a sluggard and a slacker.
Pity that the stags cannot teach swiftness to the turtles.
In your longing for your Giant Self
lies your Goodness: and that longing is in all of you.
But in some of you that longing is a torrent rushing
with might to the sea, carrying the secrets of
the hillsides and the songs of the forest.
And in others it is a flat stream
that loses itself in angles and bends,
and lingers before it reaches the shore.
But let not him who longs so much, lies your Goodness: and that longing is in all of you.
But in some of you that longing is a torrent rushing
with might to the sea, carrying the secrets of
the hillsides and the songs of the forest.
And in others it is a flat stream
that loses itself in angles and bends,
and lingers before it reaches the shore.
say to him who longs little ---
"Wherefore are you slow and halting?"
For the truly Good ask not the naked,
"Where is your garment?"
nor the houseless,
"What suffering
has befallen your house?"
---------------------------
"If— "
If you can keep your head
when all about you
are losing theirs
and blaming it on you....
and blaming it on you....
(
Doubleday 1910 )
____________
"IF —" is a poem by the massively prolific Victorian writer, British Nobel Laureate, Sir Rudyard Kipling, written as a tribute to his military combat deceased son Leander Starr Jameson, in the form of paternal advice to the poet's son.
"IF —" is a poem by the massively prolific Victorian writer, British Nobel Laureate, Sir Rudyard Kipling, written as a tribute to his military combat deceased son Leander Starr Jameson, in the form of paternal advice to the poet's son.
_______
"If— "
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
--------------------------
If you can dream --
If you can dream --
and not make 'dreams' your master;
If you can think --
and not make 'thoughts' your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;
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If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
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If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run --
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And -- which is more --
If you can think --
and not make 'thoughts' your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;
----------------------------------------------------------
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
----------------------------------------------------------
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run --
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And -- which is more --
You'll be a Man,
my Son !
You'll be a Good Woman, my Daughter !
You'll be a Good Woman, my Daughter !
______________________________________
"IF —"
is a poem by the massively prolific Victorian writer, British Nobel Laureate,
Sir Rudyard Kipling-- written as a tribute to his military combat deceased son Leander
Starr Jameson, in the form of skillful and well intended mentoring -- “mentorship
is relationship” -- and with a loving dose of invaluable paternal advice to the
poet's son.
As poetry, "If—" ... is an
evocation of Victorian-era stoicism -- the “stiff upper lip” school of noble self-discipline ( military, sports,
monastics ) which Victorian popular culture rendered into a British national
virtue and character trait. "If—" . that it remains a model
cultural touchstone for wise self-regulation, clarity of Royal ethics and a
sturdy, well managed emotional life is evidenced by its still long enduring
popularity among contemporary Brits.
Forthrightly,
if we're being a bit over gender-focused here, this is unmistakably a
young "Man's" poem -- handed on by an 'elder' of the tribe in whatever world culture you find yourself indigenous to -- yet the true basic
goodness living in the universal qualities of human Integrity
and gentlemanly grace in this paean of a poem --are simply stunning ! Always look for the quality of the Supreme Qualities !
They're All Here. To our
American Servicemen, Thank You for heroically being there....
Today’s Popular Culture: This premier poem was adapted and performed as a song by Joni Mitchell on her 2007 album Shine.[12] It was also performed by Roger Whittaker under the title "A Song for Erik". 'If—' is also referred to in the song 'If (When You Go)' by Judie Tzuke from the album Moon on a Mirrorball, as well as in the second verse of "Sowing Season", a song by rock band Brand New on their album The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me. The poem is quoted in the 1979 film, Apocalypse Now by the photographer played by Dennis Hopper. The poem, in an abbreviated form, is quoted in White Squall (1996) by the English teacher played by John Savage.
"If — " The Poem by Sir Rudyard Kipling
some edited excerpts are from
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
____________________________
We've been TRUMPed, by Ourselves !...
According to
Sir Charles...We’re Living In
a Most Alarming
“UNCERTAINTY of TIMES” ~
MINDFULNESSAwakening-Practice
Has Your Back !
Sir Charles...We’re Living In
a Most Alarming
“UNCERTAINTY of TIMES” ~
MINDFULNESSAwakening-Practice
Has Your Back !
A Tale of Two Cities
by Charles Dickens - 1859
" It was the Best of Times,
it was the Worst of Times...
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,
it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,
it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,
it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,
we had everything before us, we had nothing before us,
we were all going direct to Heaven,
we were all going direct the other way –--
in short, thar period was so far,
just like the present period
-- that some of its noisiest authorities
insisted on its being received,
for Good or for Evil ---
in the superlative degree
of comparison only."
-------------------
A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is a historical novel by Charles Dickens. The plot centres on the years leading up to the French Revolution and culminates in the Jacobin Reign of Terror. Set in London and Paris, it tells the story of two men, Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton, who look similar but are very different in traits.
Book I - Recalled to Life
Chapter I - The Period
" It was the Best of Times,
it was the Worst of Times...
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,
it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,
it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,
it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,
we had everything before us, we had nothing before us,
we were all going direct to Heaven,
we were all going direct the other way –--
in short, thar period was so far,
just like the present period
-- that some of its noisiest authorities
insisted on its being received,
for Good or for Evil ---
in the superlative degree
of comparison only."
-------------------
A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is a historical novel by Charles Dickens. The plot centres on the years leading up to the French Revolution and culminates in the Jacobin Reign of Terror. Set in London and Paris, it tells the story of two men, Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton, who look similar but are very different in traits.
Book I - Recalled to Life
Chapter I - The Period