Posting again this one poem by Rudyard Kipling called " IF ".
Life takes so many turns --- some turns are big; some are small. It is the set of core principles that a man holds - that guide him through all things big and small - ain't that true ? This Poem just embodies one aspect of that.
The thing for a person to remember -- is to take care of ones core values, beliefs and principles. The rest takes care of itself ! IF
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 breath 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
One more trip round the sun for me, and I happened to take a look at this.
At age 26:
American anthropologist Margaret Mead wrote her famous dissertation, Coming of Age in Samoa, which claimed that in some societies adolescence is not a particularly difficult time.
Albert Einstein published five major research papers in a German physics jornal, fundamentally changing man's view of the universe and leading to such inventions as television and the atomic bomb.
Benjamin Franklin published the first edition of Poor Richard's Almanac, which was to play a large role in molding the diverse American character.
Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Chereshkova became the first woman to travel in space.
College dropout Steve Wozniak co-founded Apple Computer.
Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, revolutionizing the economies of the United States and Britain.
Antoine Joseph Sax invented the brass saxophone.
"Johnny Appleseed" brought apple seeds to the Ohio Valley.
Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Italy.
Gon Yangling memorized more than 15,000 telephone numbers in Harbin, China.
Orion Krynen of Denver, CO reached this age without much incident.
British ethologist Jane Goodall set up camp in the Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve on Lake Tanganyika and began studying the lives of chimpanzees.
Ken Kesey published his first novel, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest.
Thomas Pynchon published V., for which he won the William Faulkner First Novel Award.
Jimi Hendrix choked to death on his own vomit.
Kirsteene Luhrmann of Melburne, Victoria quit smoking.
Stephen Breen from Dublin, Ireland found this site.
Darren Blackburn became the first and only athlete of the Principality of Sealand, despite being somewhat lacking in athletic ability.
Syd Jesus co-founded the dUdU Art Collective in Oakland, California and turned an entire warehouse space into a conceptual art piece entitled "The $5000 Gallery."
Matthew Royer took a dog for a walk every day of the year in Minnesota, with a coldest daytime high of 0 degrees F. The average walk time was 30 minutes.
Derrick Pallas was horrified to realize he was losing his hair, just like Dad.
Jan Birkeland from Norway managed to get to work without hitting a single red light.
Angie Olson got so drunk on her 26th birthday, her friends were able to dress her up as a clown.
No stellar world-changing-achievements to report from my side as yet, and no major regrets in this unfinished life of mine too.
The last 26 rounds of the sun have been real good - lets see how the rest of the story goes.
