Sunday, September 07, 2003
What do I write about??? I think I will just post something that I received long back...which has been thought-provoking everytime I read it. Hope you find it that way too....
Abraham Lincoln's plea to the world, on the eve of his son's first day at school. These beautiful words portray a father's mixed feelings of joy & anxiety when his son steps into a new phase in life. Most parents have experienced this and it's so true !
"WORLD, take my son by the hand - he starts to school to-day. It's going to be strange and new for a while and I wish you would sort of treat him gently. You see up to now he's been king of the roost. He's been the boss of the backyard. I have always been handy to soothe his feelings"
"But now...... things are going to be different. This morning he is going to walk down the front steps, wave his hand and start on a great voyage that probably will include wars, tragedy and sorrows. To live in this world will require faith, love and courage. So, WORLD, I wish you would sort of take him by his young hands and teach him the things he would have to know. Teach him, but gently if you can. He will have to learn, I know, that all men are not just, all men are not true. Teach him that for every scoundrel there is a hero; that for every crooked politician there is a dedicated leader. Teach him that for every enemy there is a friend."
"It will take time I know...but teach him, if you can, that a dollar earned is of far more value than five found. Teach him to learn to lose and also to enjoy winning; steer him away from envy, if you can; teach him the secret of quiet laughter. Let him learn early that bullies are the easiest people to lick."
"Teach him, if you can, the wonders of books. Give him a quiet time to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky, bees in the sun and flowers on a green hillside. In school, teach him it is far more honorable to fail than to cheat. Teach him to have faith in his own ideas, even if every one tells him they are wrong. Teach him to be gentle with gentle people and tough with the tough. Try to give my son the strength not to follow the crowd when everyone is getting on the band wagon. Teach him to listen to all men, but teach him also to filter all he hears on a screen of truth, and take only the good that comes through"
"Teach him, if you can, how to laugh when he is sad. Teach him there is no shame in tears. Teach him to scoff at cynics and to beware of too much sweetness. Teach him to sell his brawn and brain to the higher bidders, but never to put a price tag on his heart and soul. Teach him to close his ears to a howling mob and to stand and fight if the thinks he's right."
"Treat him gently, but do not cuddle him, because only the test of fire makes fine steel. Let him have the courage to be impatient, let him have the patience to be brave. Teach him always to have sublime faith in himself, because then he will always have sublime faith in mankind. This is a big order, but see what you can do. He is such a fine little fellow, my son."
These words hold true even today, some 150 years after Abe Lincoln first thought of them.
Abraham Lincoln's plea to the world, on the eve of his son's first day at school. These beautiful words portray a father's mixed feelings of joy & anxiety when his son steps into a new phase in life. Most parents have experienced this and it's so true !
"WORLD, take my son by the hand - he starts to school to-day. It's going to be strange and new for a while and I wish you would sort of treat him gently. You see up to now he's been king of the roost. He's been the boss of the backyard. I have always been handy to soothe his feelings"
"But now...... things are going to be different. This morning he is going to walk down the front steps, wave his hand and start on a great voyage that probably will include wars, tragedy and sorrows. To live in this world will require faith, love and courage. So, WORLD, I wish you would sort of take him by his young hands and teach him the things he would have to know. Teach him, but gently if you can. He will have to learn, I know, that all men are not just, all men are not true. Teach him that for every scoundrel there is a hero; that for every crooked politician there is a dedicated leader. Teach him that for every enemy there is a friend."
"It will take time I know...but teach him, if you can, that a dollar earned is of far more value than five found. Teach him to learn to lose and also to enjoy winning; steer him away from envy, if you can; teach him the secret of quiet laughter. Let him learn early that bullies are the easiest people to lick."
"Teach him, if you can, the wonders of books. Give him a quiet time to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky, bees in the sun and flowers on a green hillside. In school, teach him it is far more honorable to fail than to cheat. Teach him to have faith in his own ideas, even if every one tells him they are wrong. Teach him to be gentle with gentle people and tough with the tough. Try to give my son the strength not to follow the crowd when everyone is getting on the band wagon. Teach him to listen to all men, but teach him also to filter all he hears on a screen of truth, and take only the good that comes through"
"Teach him, if you can, how to laugh when he is sad. Teach him there is no shame in tears. Teach him to scoff at cynics and to beware of too much sweetness. Teach him to sell his brawn and brain to the higher bidders, but never to put a price tag on his heart and soul. Teach him to close his ears to a howling mob and to stand and fight if the thinks he's right."
"Treat him gently, but do not cuddle him, because only the test of fire makes fine steel. Let him have the courage to be impatient, let him have the patience to be brave. Teach him always to have sublime faith in himself, because then he will always have sublime faith in mankind. This is a big order, but see what you can do. He is such a fine little fellow, my son."
These words hold true even today, some 150 years after Abe Lincoln first thought of them.
