Self-Control, Its Kingship and MajestyJordan, William George
Philosophy
Self-Control, Its Kingship and Majesty
Jordan, William George
Conduct of life; Self-control
When man pleads for a chance to live life over, there is always an
implied plea of inexperience, of a lack of knowledge. This is unworthy,
even of a coward. We know the laws of health, yet we ignore them or defy
them every day. We know what is the proper food for us, individually, to
eat, yet we gratify our appetites and trust to our cleverness to square
the account with Nature somehow. We know that success is a matter of
simple, clearly defined laws, of the development of mental essentials,
of tireless energy and concentration, of constant payment of price,—we
know all this, and yet we do not live up to our knowledge. We constantly
eclipse ourselves by ourselves, and then we blame Fate.
Parents often counsel their children against certain things, and do them
themselves, in the foolish hope that the children will believe their
ears in preference to their eyes. Years of careful teaching of a child
to be honest and truthful may be nullified in an instant by a parent’s
lying to a conductor about a child’s age to save a nickel. That may be a
very expensive street-car ride for the child,—and for the parent. It
may be part of the spirit of the age to believe that it is no sin to
cheat a corporation or a trust, but it is unwise to give the child so
striking an example at an age when it cannot detect the sophistry.
Man’s only plea for a chance to live life again is that he has gained in
wisdom and experience. If he be really in earnest, then he can live life
over, he can live life anew, he can live the new life that comes to him
day by day. Let him leave to the past, to the aggregated thousands of
yesterdays, all their mistakes, sin, sorrow, misery and folly, and start
afresh. Let him close the books of his old life, let him strike a
balance, and start anew, crediting himself with all the wisdom he has
gained from his past failure and weakness, and charging himself with the
new duties and responsibilities that come from the possession of his new
capital of wisdom. Let him criticise others less and himself more,—and
start out bravely in this new life he is to live.
What the world needs is more day-to-day living; starting in the morning
with fresh, clear ideals for that day, and seeking to live that day, and
each successive hour and moment of that day, as if it were all time and
all eternity. This has in it no element of disregard for the future, for
each day is set in harmony with that future. It is like the sea-captain
heading his vessel toward his port of destination, and day by day
keeping her steaming toward it. This view of living kills morbid regret
of the past, and morbid worry about the future. Most people want large,
guaranteed slices of life; they would not be satisfied with manna fresh
every day, as was given to the children of Israel; they want grain
elevators filled with daily bread.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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