10 November 2009
The Power of If (Part 6)

Filed under gaps + thoughts

Guiding the perpetual rennovation project that is my character, is a set of heavily-edited and dog-eared blueprints. Like many a budding architect, I move from one building site to another, garnering ideas for alterations to my own master plan. When introduced to Rudyard (RK) Kipling’s poem, ‘If’, I knew I had hit the proverbial mother-lode. While studying RK’s masterpiece I discovered improvement upon improvement I wanted to incorporate into my own design. The poem’s extensive collection of noble characteristics has provided countless hours of personal inspiration and cleansing perspiration. It is within this context that I have long considered the next lines of Mr. Kipling’s poem a blemish upon a near-perfect life admonition…

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

My distaste for the images these few words conjured up, often led to the temptation to go ‘wiki’ on RK’s literary jewel. I pictured something akin to a crazed husband and father, eyeing a roulette wheel, after succumbing to the temptation to literally ‘bet the farm.’ Upon deeper contemplation I have supplanted my gambler imagery and embryonic understanding. I now view his words as a wake-up call to let go of the things that matter least, so our arms are free to embrace what matters most.

As if such a charge wasn’t daunting enough, RK raises the bar to new heights of intimidation when he suggests we might do our letting go without flinching…

And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;

However let’s not forget, Kipling’s lofty advice is more of a becoming than that of a being. He concludes the poem, “And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!,” as if to leave the gap between aspiration and destination fresh in our minds. For over 20 years I have kept a card given to me during a pivotal point in my life which reads, “Goals are stars to guide you by, not sticks to beat you with.” Like ancient mariners we need unwavering points in our night skies against which we can confidently chart our course. Nonetheless when we find ourselves astray, our efforts are best spent on speedy course correction rather than drifting further as we attend to flogging the crew.

Further insight into minding the gap between our personal goals and our current selves came from a cherished friend and mentor, Rusty Snow. He said something like, “Spend your time raising your reality up to your ideals, instead of tearing your ideals down to meet your reality.” So dear reader, I appeal to you and myself alike. Let us continually close the distance between where we are today and where we want to be tomorrow. And may we always find the fortitude and character to increase that gap as we discover new and loftier destinations. ~Russ

Twenty lines down and twelve to go.

2009-11-10  ::  Russ Leseberg