The Power of Truth: Individual Problems and PossibilitiesJordan, William George
Philosophy
The Power of Truth: Individual Problems and Possibilities
Jordan, William George
Conduct of life
Procrastination is the father of a countless family of things that come
too late. Procrastination means making an appointment with opportunity
to "call again to-morrow." It kills self-control, saps mental energy,
makes man a creature of circumstances instead of their creator. There
is one brand of procrastination that is a virtue. It is never doing
to-day a wrong that can be put off till to-morrow, never performing an
act to-day that may make to-morrow ashamed.
There are little estrangements in life, little misunderstandings that
are passed by in silence between friends, each too closely armored with
pride, and enamoured with self to break. There is a time when a few
straightforward words would set it all right, the clouds would break
and the sunshine of love burst forth again. But each nurses a weak,
petty sense of dignity, the rift grows wider, they drift apart, and
each goes his lonely way, hungering for the other. They may waken to
realization too late to piece the broken strands of affection into a
new life.
The wisdom that comes too late in a thousand phases of life usually has
an irritating, depressing effect on the individual. He should charge
a large part of it to the account of experience. If no wisdom came
too late there would be no experience. It means, after all, only that
we are wiser to-day than we were yesterday, that we see all things in
truer relation, that our pathway of life has been illuminated.
The world is prone to judge by results. It is glad to be a stockholder
in our success and prosperity, but it too often avoids the assessments
of sympathy and understanding. The man who pulls against the stream may
have but a stanch two or three to help him. When the tide turns and his
craft swiftens its course and he is carried along without effort, he
finds boats hurrying to him from all directions as if he had suddenly
woke up and found himself in a regatta. The help then comes too late;
he does not need it. He himself must then guard against the temptation
of cynicism and coldness and selfishness. Then he should realize and
determine that what he terms "the way of the world" shall not be his
"way." That he will not be too late with his stimulus to others who
have struggled bravely as he has done, but who being less strong
may drop the oars in despair for the lack of the stimulus of even a
friendly word of heartening in a crisis.
The old song of dreary philosophy says: "The mill will never grind
again with the water that is past." Why should the mill expect to use
the same water over and over? That water may now be merrily turning
mill-wheels further down the valley, continuing without ceasing, its
good work. It is folly to think so much of the water that is past.
Think more of the great stream that is ever flowing on. Use that as
best you can, and when it has passed you will be glad that it came, and
be satisfied with its service.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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