a psalm of life, henry wadsworth longfellow

What the Heart of the Young Man Said to the Psalmist Tell me not, in mournful numbers, "Life is but an empty dream!" For the soul is dead that slumbers, And things are not what they seem. Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal; "Dust thou art, to dust returnest," Was not spoken of the soul. Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, Is our destined end or way; But to act, that each to-morrow Finds us farther than to-day. Art is long, and Time is fleeting, And our hearts, though stout and brave, Still, like muffled drums, are beating Funeral marches to the grave. In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle! Be a hero in the strife! Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant! Let the dead Past bury its dead! Act,--act in the living Present! Heart within, and God o'erhead! Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time; Footprints, that perhaps another, Sailing o'er life's solemn main, A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again. Let us, then, be up and doing, With a heart for any fate; Still achieving, still pursuing Learn to labor and to wait.

First day of my senior spring semester and yes, I am restless and feeling out of sorts because my planner has yet to arrive in the mail, my iPod of eight years (a lifetime by iPod years, you know) is broken, and the wheels of Time keep turning. I have no sense of my future--only dreams. And yes, I know another man, many a year ago, also declared that he had a dream. What strikes me about MLK Jr. is that he knew God, and the deep, personal way he related to God changed our nation. In honoring MLK, we--knowingly or unwittingly--give glory to the God he believed in, because MLK's actions were wrought from the ways God transformed and spoke to him. Saying such words--"God," "transformed," etc. etc.--as always, elicits such frowns and feelings of disgust from people nowadays. We don't focus much on MLK's religious beliefs, but I think he does God much credit. His life, shaped such as it was by God, it just makes me think of how full and good a life can be--not just for the individual in question, but for all those around him or her.

I have dreams. I do. What will come of them, what God will make of them, remains to be seen. I only hope that I, and the dreams I hold, do Him much credit.