Your Verse

Your Verse

Photo from: Dead Poets Society

Of the many memorable lines from the 1989 film "Dead Poets Society," English professor John Keating offers this thought to his impressionable class of young men:
"We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. 'O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?' Answer -- That you are here -- that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play goes on...and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?"

We all carry our own life "story" around with us. For some people, that story becomes a sack full of chains and weights and regrets and fears and self-loathing. A ton of baggage with no wheels that can become pretty tough to carry around, adding frustration and resentment that - like accumulated interest on a bank loan that gets added to principal, generating even more interest - only makes the load heavier in the long run.

Conversely, other people's stories can be light, both in weight and appearance. Filled with gratitude, hope, love, and optimism, these stories not only are easier to carry, but are meant to be shared and emulated.

Here's the secret. Yes, bad stuff happens. Everybody gets a turn in the barrel at one point or another in life. But, as Professor Keating whispered to his wide-eyed students, "The powerful play goes on...and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?"

What will your story be? It's always up to you. You may be going through tough times, but the good news is that you're going through them. You don't have to carry them around on your back forever. They don't have to be your story.

Make the change. Refuse to be mastered by fear and pessimism. Look for the reasons we stay alive for. Live for love. That's the story we all are meant to tell the world. That's what your verse can be.

~ Eric