This poem is probably one of my favorite poems. It is also a great note that Rudyard Kipling was a Brother Mason.
If by Rudyard KiplingIf you can keep your head when all about youAre 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 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!
Word of the Master - Winter Solstice MMIX
ReplyDelete“We stand among the children of God, as we have done since the Dark Times, acting as seekers, builders, and agents of change in a world that has lost Something Precious.
We stand as Seekers - Our efforts to find that which was lost will never cease. We are all called to a higher purpose - a Journey to find the Light of the Lost Word.
We stand as Builders - The children of God will always need shelter to protect them from the wicked - we are the Builders of Sanctuary. Men and Women separated by the rivers of Ignorance, Hatred, and Fear can never be whole - we are Builders of Bridges.
We stand as the Agents of Change - The children of God must want and seek change if we are ever to find that which was lost. Change is an alchemical process that begins within each and everyone of us. As we transmute ourselves we share our Light with the world and that Light begets more change amongst the children of God.
My question to you, here with me tonight, is: Are you willing to continue to stand as Knights of the Lost Word? Are you willing to seek out our Brothers and Sisters, lost among the children of God, who have forgotten their purpose? Are you willing to fight, and give and love and let your light shine before the children of God so that they might See and rejoice?
I know it is all too easy to allow the insidious afflictions of apathy and cynicism to take hold of your spirit but we must not let our guards down. The winds of change are blowing. While war in the middle lands still wage I sense a change coming. The true People of the Prophet grow weary of war and hatred. They want freedom and love. The United People are growing weary of greed and war as well and what they want more than anything is True Freedom and Love.
Are you willing to stand and protect True Freedom while at the same time offer the Hand of Brotherly Love? I thank those, from the bottom of my heart, who are.”
As you know December 30th is the birthday of Rudyard Kipling, the author of the inspirational poem “If”. Even a century-and-a-half after his birth, his poem continues to inspire millions of people, people who come from incredibly varied backgrounds all over the world, including you and me. Apparently, we both feel that the more the message of this poem is shared, the better this world would be. After all, I found your blog because it has Kipling’s “If”.
ReplyDeleteIn that same spirit, the group of enthusiasts (including yours truly) have actually started a blog called “All Things If”, which is devoted to the ideals of the poem. The blog is a literary journal, with short fiction, editorials, sections for “Poems like ‘If’” and “Books like ‘If’”, and, in the next two months, you’ll find interviews with notable people under the heading “Kipling’s Hall of Fame”. Any help that you can offer to improve our blog would be greatly appreciated – articles, stories, suggestions, ideas, comments, editing, etc. I hope you will not find my request too outlandish, but it would also be great if you posted a link to “All Things If” under the text of “If” on your site. This way after reading “If” on your page, your visitors could find readings and even music that expand the poem’s message at “All Things If”.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Michael Tesney, Michael.Tesney@allthingsif.org