A Psalm of Life

    TELL me not, in mournful numbers,
        Life is but an empty dream ! —
    For the soul is dead that slumbers,
        And things are not what they seem.

    Life is real !   Life is earnest!
        And the grave is not its goal ;
    Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
        Was not spoken of the soul.

    Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
        Is our destined end or way ;
    But to act, that each to-morrow
        Find us farther than to-day.

    Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
        And our hearts, though stout and brave,
    Still, like muffled drums, are beating
        Funeral marches to the grave.

    In the world's broad field of battle,
        In the bivouac of Life,
    Be not like dumb, driven cattle !
        Be a hero in the strife !

    Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant !
        Let the dead Past bury its dead !
    Act,— act in the living Present !
        Heart within, and God o'erhead !

    Lives of great men all remind us
        We can make our lives sublime,
    And, departing, leave behind us
        Footprints on the sands of time ;

    Footprints, that perhaps another,
        Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
    A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
        Seeing, shall take heart again.

    Let us, then, be up and doing,
        With a heart for any fate ;
    Still achieving, still pursuing,
        Learn to labor and to wait.

What the heart of the young man

said to the psalmist.

------------------------------------------------

The first stanza of the poem tells us not to complain about how we fail, and how we suffer, and how we think life's an empty dream. Because if we just sit around and complain, then we're practically good for nothing. Besides, we often mistake a blessing for a curse. The second says hat life is real, life is earnest, and we're not living simply to one day die. Our bodies were made from the dust of the earth and to that which it came it shall return, but our souls were not made from the dust so they will  not return to the dust. The third says that no future is ever promised, good or bad, but we should not let that deter us from moving on and improving day after day. The fourth says that learning is slow, and time passes quickly. And, though our hearts may be the bravest, we can do not to stop it. We WILL one day die and pass onto the next life. The fifth, my favorite, says for us not to be like dumb driven cattle in our lives and in the conduct and business of others, but to stand for what's right and do something, be a hero. The sixth once again reminds us not to trust any promises of the future, for anything is subject to change other than the Lord Himself. We should also let go of the past, for, well, it IS the past and we can do not to change it. We should act for today, act for other's, and act for God and he will bless us. The seventh brings us to remember the good men in history, not just John Adams and Abraham Lincoln, but the ones even further back such as Moses and Noah and etc. They left a good history, they changed things, and they left behind examples and wise words for us to follow. And we can do the same for others. Leaving our own footprints in history. And, with the eighth stanza, perhaps another walking down the same path that we were once on will learn from our mistakes and our examples and that path will then be, at least, easier. The ninth stanza closes up this fine poem by telling us to be up and doing and to keep our hearts and minds in check, and, also to work hard and be patient.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the amazing, poetic, bright, and wise man; gives us prudent words for all our young minds, hearts, and even souls to follow. To never trust the future, to let go of the past, to keep our heads out of the clouds, to act for God and for others (one in the same), to leave behind examples, and to work hard and be patient. But he introduces it so that the rhythm of the poem keeps us reading and also describes the rhythm of life. The good, the bad, and the in-between. Shouldn't we all be heroes? Shouldn't we all be looked up to by someone going down the same path we once did? Yes, and yes. But we can only achieve these things by following Longfellow's words, and more importantly God's word.

Your friend, classmate, comrade, or whatever else you wish to call me (within good reason),

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be,
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Invictus- William Ernest Henley


This poem works wonders for the people who are feeling down in our world. It brings them confidence and courage to do what's necessary. Henley gives a dark view of our world with this poem. The view is quite correct, unfortunately, because we truly are living through pain and suffering and death. But this poem gives us much hope because it reminds us of something, that we all have something inside us that nothing (pain, suffering, or even death) can conquer. Our soul is what keeps us anchored to this world, it is the solid, everlasting thing inside of us. And if we remember that, we can do pretty much anything. What the poem also tells us is that no matter who we have to go through, whatever trials we have to survive, nothing and no one can stop us. Because we are the masters of our fate,
We are the captains of our soul.
And I am your young philosopher bringing you a good view of this poem and reminding you that you are who you are and no one can change that.

Your friend, classmate, comrade, or whatever else you wish to call me (within reason now),

The Question of Hamlet

To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;

No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish'd.

To die, to sleep; To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,

Must give us pause: there's the respect That makes calamity of so long life.

What Shakespeare (The creator of Hamlet and the words of wisdom in which he spoke), The most influential writer in all of literature,

meant by these well spoken words was whether it was nobler to live life through all the suffering and calamity or to commit suicide.

This choice is fairly easy to make for us now-a-days for our lives are a lot easier than Hamlets was (or well MOST of us).

Hamlet's mother had married his father's brother after his father had died in battle. His mother and  father were very much in love,

therefore Hamlet felt that his mother was betraying that love that she had for his father. When Hamlet spoke to his father's ghost he

found out that his uncle was the murderer of his father (by poison in the ears while he slept) he was mortified. This, coupled with the fact

that Polonius refused to let the fair Ophelia give into Hamlet's love, made Hamlet's life a wreck to say the least. So Hamlet, the noble hero of the story,

considered suicide..... Of course, he decided that he was going to live through the suffering and take his revenge on his uncle and his mother.

And, as in most Shakespearian plays, they all die. But the moral of his saying is that we should not ever even consider suicide no matter how harsh our lives may seem.

For, if we do good in our lives, then they may take a turn for the better. So in conclusion I think 'tis much nobler to live and fight for good in life. What will YOU do?

Your friend, classmate, comrade, or anything else you wish to call me (within reason),

You CAN Come Home Again

Today I quote the famous saying, "You can never come home again". This is not true. You most certainly CAN come home again and make it work. Whoever created this ridiculous saying must have had family troubles of his own. But today, I question not the sanity of coming home again, but rather I question the sanity of ever leaving home in the first place. And I know what some of you who read this might be thinking, "Oh, he's too young to understand", "He's never experienced it himself". Well, the last is true but the first I disagree with entirely. A young mind, though naive, is often the freshest and often mostly uncorrupted by worldly troubles. We also have a ton of time on our hands so why NOT ponder? Regardless, what I'm getting at is that I believe that you shouldn't leave home 'till your ready to leave. People now-a-days think of this in terms with insanity often pondering like this: "Oh, that guys still lives with his mom, what a dork", or in terms of women, "LOL, he is SO not my type. I mean, I don't want a guy who can't leave his mom". What people fail to see is that, though you might be in rebellion and have quite a few quarrels with your loved one's at home, at home you have EVERYTHING. You have a room, people that love you no matter what, food on the table, easily accessible advice, free TV, and often internet and a computer. Best thing is it's often ALL FREE, and if it's NOT it's usually only chores around the house, or a piece of your paycheck that is three times lower in price than most apartment rents. So I, your young philosopher, question the sanity of the people who question the sanity of the people who stay home! (I know.. confusing, right?) Now for those of you who are firm believers that you MUST go on your own at some point in your life, what I state today isn't me saying that you shouldn't get a job and eventually get your own place, for men well... It's what makes us men. So today I ask all of you to doubt for just a few minutes what ever rebellious thoughts your hopped up on now. Doubt for just a few minutes what you think you know. And it might just be enough to change your life.

Your friend, classmate, comrade, or whatever you wish to call me (within reason),

Do My Eyes Deceive Me?!

No.. Myself Does....

Polonius:
"This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Farewell, my blessing season this in thee!"

Hamlet Act 1 Scene 3

Deciphered meaning- You should always be true to yourself, night and day. For if you are.. You won't ever be false to any man....

A lie always starts inside of someone. Someone has to lie to himself to justify lying to another. This is the very roots of deception... Roots I have delved deep in many times... Deception starts inside of you and slowly... no... often quickly builds into a lie. So if you never let that deception build inside of you it never builds into a lie.

Ways to do this- There is only one... Be true to yourself and you will always be true to others. If you haven't noticed, from a few lies you've told yourself over and over again, the more you lie to yourself the more you believe your own lies. And if you lie to yourself your whole world becomes one of deception and fruitlessness. So my words of wisdom (what little I have but hey.. I try :P) don't let deception become your life. Be true to yourself and be true to others and you will be blessed.

Greetings, I'm Jacob (Hebrew- Ya'akov) and I will be your young and hopefully prosperous guide through what I call Christian Philosophy. Deception has been a good part of my life many times. But now I'm ready to stop fighting who I am and start becoming who I should and will be. It's time to start fresh and learn life's lessons. And to spare you the drag and pull, I will take you along with me. So think of me not as a guide, but as a friend and classmate in the school of life.

Your friend, classmate, comrade, or whatever else you wish to call me ( within reason),

P.S. Success is not the key to happiness, happiness is the key to success.