One poem which has been a firm favorite during my darker moments is Rudyard Kipling's "IF". It is a poem written in 1896 by the then 31-year-old Rudyard Kipling. "IF" was first published in the "Brother Square Toes" chapter of Rewards and Fairies, Kipling's 1910 collection of short stories and poems.
According to Wikipedia, like William Ernest Henley's "Invictus", it is a memorable evocation of Victorian stoicism and the "stiff upper lip" that popular culture has made into a traditional British virtue. Its status is confirmed both by the number of parodies it has inspired, and by the widespread popularity it still draws amongst Britons (it was voted Britain's favourite poem in a 1995 BBC opinion poll). The poem's line, "If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster and treat those two impostors just the same" is written on the wall of the centre court players' entrance at the British tennis tournament, Wimbledon. The entire poem was read in a promotional video for the Wimbledon 2008 gentleman's final by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
According to Kipling in his autobiography Something of Myself, posthumously published in 1937, the poem was inspired by Dr. Leander Starr Jameson, who in 1895 led a raid by British forces against the Boers in South Africa, subsequently called the Jameson Raid. This defeat increased the tensions that ultimately led to the Second Boer War. The British press, however, portrayed Jameson as a hero in the middle of the disaster, and the actual defeat as a British victory. Here it is - Kipling's "IF".
If by Rudyard Kipling
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 - 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 wornout 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 breath 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!
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 - 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 wornout 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 breath 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!
Whenever I read this poem, I can gain a sense of life's challenges and how one can overcome the doubting Thomas' or those who cannot take responsibility for their own actions. I have used this poem in my literary analysis classes and it is amazing how even teenagers are perceptive to the many lessons we can learn here.
The first eight lines talk about several of life's challenges. People who are unable to accept responsibility for their actions or lack of it will shirk their responsibility on the matter and blame someone else for their misgivings. The poem stresses the importance of accepting one's own responsibility for the choices made; not to play the blame game. We need to look within ourselves for the answers and not allow others to push us down or make us feel small and unworthy of life's good things.
I thought this poem is appropriate for our consideration as it stresses the importance of being true to ourselves and when the doubting Thomas' try to break us down by doubting our abilities, we cannot let such doubts keep us from achieving our goals. However, we have to take note of those who doubt us. Consider their doubts and make improvements or live uprightly to counteract those doubts. Humility is vital.
Whilst we should dare to dream, we cannot allow that dream to control our every waking moment. We have to embrace the dream as our own, without trampling others to achieve that dream. Be triumphant when our dreams are fulfilled, without being a martyr. When disasters occur in life, learn from them; do not ignore the disasters or triumphs in our lives as they both have different effects on life as we know it. Both can destroy and give life. How we interpret that is our choice and how we choose to live will not only affect us, but will affect anything and everything that is near and dear to us.
This poem teaches us that we have to learn to speak the truth and take responsibility for our actions or lack of it that may cause an upset in your life. Do not place blame where it doesn't belong. We make your own choices and placing the blame on others only exacerbates the problem. We cannot learn from bad choices if we constantly blame others for our misgivings. When challenges come our way, embrace them as lessons to be learnt.
When we've been kicked down, get back up and do not by any means allow that kick to destroy our true self. Become stronger and wiser because of those lessons learned. Gather all things that are broken in our life and put them back together again to make it stronger. Strength is in the way we handle the stressful times. Ultimately, we have to live the right way by being true to ourselves and others. If we leave a mark on the world, we will be remembered with kindness and love after we are gone.
Success cannot limit our kindness to others. We should have compassion and empathy for others. While we should walk with the kings, we cannot tread on others to get there. We must not lose ourselves in the materialistic world and not put others down because of their situations. Be generous to others who need our help and not focus solely on our goals in life selfishly without considering how we impact the lives of others.
Do not become oblivious to others' pain and suffering. Be kind and offer them our help. If not, we will be hurting ourselves too. In all things, we have to demonstrate integrity and compassion because it will bring us rewarding outcomes. Be true to ourselves, our loved ones, and anyone else who might cross paths with us.
I believe this poem puts a great emphasis for us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. If we can get through life with all its curves, good or bad, we can be proud of ourselves for tackling problems head on. We must be humble and not brag about our successes or whine about our losses. If we can go without bragging and whining and learn from our mistakes, we will achieve the greatest rewards: to be a man. May our leaders live out the lessons that they can learn from this poem...to be men of honor and valor.
Anonymous Great song here, "Walk Like A Man":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMYZBVbifh8&feature=related
~wits0~