'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 impostors 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 all 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!
Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)
CRITICISM
For myself, as I
analyze this poem and what it means to me, 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. My contribution is how I interpret this
poem and what it means to me.
Several of
life's challenges can be construed from the first eight lines. People who are
unable to accept responsibility for their actions or inactions 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. Look within yourself for the answers
and do not allow others to push you down or make you feel small and unworthy of
life's good things.
The poem
stresses the importance of being true to yourself and when the doubting Thomas'
try to break you down by doubting your abilities don't let those doubts keep
you from achieving your goals. However, take note of those who doubt you.
Consider their doubts and make improvements to yourself or life as you know it
to counteract those doubts. Learn to be humble and don't become a braggart.
Dare to dream,
but do not allow that dream to control your every waking moment. Embrace the
dream as your own, but do not trample others to achieve that dream. Be
triumphant when your dreams are fulfilled, but do not become a martyr. When
disasters occur in life, learn from them; do not ignore the disasters or
triumphs in your life as they both have different effects on life as you know
it. Both can destroy and both can give life. How you interpret that is your
choice and how you choose to live will not only affect you, but will affect
anything and everything that is near and dear to you.
Learn to speak
the truth and take responsibility for your actions or inactions that may cause
an upset in your life. Do not place blame where it doesn't belong. You make
your own choices and placing the blame on others only exacerbates the problem.
You cannot learn from bad choices if you constantly blame others for your
misgivings. When life throws you curves from the side lines, steer around those
curves, embrace them as a learning tool, and do not lose sight.
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READER RESPONSE
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