If We Can Save Earth When All About Us,...

Dear Fellow Earthlings, Rudyard Kipling's poem "If" has long been one of my favorite poems. In the words of the poem I have found inspiration many times in my life. I now look at a few of the lines Kipling wrote and offer them as suggestions for making our world more peaceful -- and our Earth more appreciated and secure! In the four-stanza poem Kipling describes what he feels a boy needs to do to become a man. Since I amconcerned with the wider notion of helping make Earth a more secure place by helping restore her ecosystem to levels approaching its pristine beginnings, in this blog I present some ideas to consider within that context.

In the first stanza Kipling talks of confidence and patience as being important. I agree.

Within the context of Earthsaving confidence of purpose in our actions CAN make a difference. Eschewing waste, fraud, abuse, and prejudice by exercising restraint in all we do will go a long way toward making Earth a more pleasant and peaceful place to live. Patience, however, has its limits. We must not merely "hope and trust" while Earth's ecosystem burns.

Kipling's second stanza is directly applicable to saving Earthsaving. Just look at the words for yourself. It almost seems Kipling was talking about saving Earth!

"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 them up with worn-out tools;"

The third stanza basically asks that the boy to whom "If" seems to be addressed should be resolute in all things,that he should never succumb to pain or to the inevitable. I do not myself encourage taking risks whose rewards seem less than certain, but I do agree that we must persevere in our endeavors, especially those concerned with saving Earth.

The last stanza talks about humility and cordiality even in the heat of competition. Such cordiality is truly lacking in today's internet influenced global society. We need to bring back cordiality and nice manners. I do take exception to the verse "If all men count with you, but none too much" Iif we hope to save Earth, then "each and every person MUST COUNT". As for the "unforgiving minute", the stress that we incur from trying to do pack each minute to the brim that will NOT stand us in good stead. Among other things, it can cause emotional problems.

Finally, while one individual SHOULD feel that "the Earth and everything that's in it" is kerms, ALL of us Earthlings TOGETHER should feel that Earth is ours and we are Earth's. Steve Walker Earthsaver and Jingles Creator

EarthSaver

Steve Walker

If We Can Save Earth When All About Us,...