If we think only of ourselves, forget about other people, then our minds occupy very small area. Inside that small area, even tiny problem appears very big. But the moment you develop a sense of concern for others, you realize that, just like ourselves, they also want happiness; they also want satisfaction. When you have this sense of concern, your mind automatically widens. At this point, your own problems, even big problems, will not be so significant. The result? Big increase in peace of mind. So, if you think only of yourself, only your own happiness, the result is actually less happiness. You get more anxiety, more fear.
Acquainted with the Night - Robert Frost
I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain - and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.
I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.
I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,
But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height,
One luminary clock against the sky
Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.
At the end of the day, we have to value ourselves as more than just an image of beauty. An image is just an image. If you want more, look deeper within. Are you a good friend? A kind companion? How do you treat others? Those are the things that are a better definition of beauty than the size of my waist can ever be.
A simple digestible explanation of the moral behind Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”
couragehopestrength:
Follow your own path.
My favourite quote. Absolutely adore this ideal.
And just in case you thought that the ideal mentioned was individualism and non-conformist and all that load of “expression of freedom” bullcrap..it might be. But it was not what Frost himself intended it to be.
Frost says of this poem:”You have to be careful of that one; it’s a tricky poem - very tricky.”
Here’s a good analysis of Frost’s intended meaning of this poem:
“Frost claims that he wrote this poem about his friend Edward Thomas, with whom he had walked many times in the woods near London. Frost has said that while walking they would come to different paths and after choosing one, Thomas would always fret wondering what they might have missed by not taking the other path.
About the poem, Frost asserted, “You have to be careful of that one; it’s a tricky poem - very tricky.” And he is, of course, correct. The poem has been and continues to be used as an inspirational poem, one that to the undiscerning eye seems to be encouraging self-reliance, not following where others have led.
But a close reading of the poem proves otherwise. It does not moralize about choice; it simply says that choice is inevitable, but you never know what your choice will mean until you have lived it.”
-Taken from Suite101: Robert Frost’s Tricky Poem: Analysis of ‘The Road Not Taken’ | Suite101.com http://lindasuegrimes.suite101.com/robert-frosts-tricky-poem-a8712#ixzz1aJKQET8L
So. Live every moment of your life like you have never lived it before, like you will never live it again, for that is exactly how life works. Leave your regrets at the fork of the road.
