Free Will and Raising Children "Your Children are not Your Children"

Lirpa

Lirpa

Jedi Master
I came across this poem yesterday and it reminded me of the discussion in regards to raising children and free will. I do not know anything about the author of it so I am not a "follower". I just thought I would share the poem thingy.

Your Children are not Your Children
by Kahlil Gibran

Your Children are not Your Children
They are the sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you for a time, they do not belong to you.You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
 
April said:
Your Children are not Your Children
by Kahlil Gibran

Your Children are not Your Children
They are the sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you for a time, they do not belong to you.You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
Click to expand...

this beautiful poem has another part, which IMO is supremely relevant to the Free Will question and raising children. Here it is:

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let our bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.
 
Hildegarda said:
April said:
Your Children are not Your Children
by Kahlil Gibran

Your Children are not Your Children
They are the sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you for a time, they do not belong to you.You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
Click to expand...

this beautiful poem has another part, which IMO is supremely relevant to the Free Will question and raising children. Here it is:

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let our bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.
Click to expand...

Thank you Hildegarda :) I added it to the first section and filed it in my archive :)
 
Kalil Gibran happens to be one of my favorite authors. This poem is from "The Prophet", first published in 1923 which has never gone out of print. He was Lebanese whose family immigrated to the US. Kalil Gibran died in 1931. His writing is very moving. I would recommend "The Prophet" to anyone. I frequently give this book as a gift. I have been moved to tears by his writing. "Mirrors of the Soul" was very good as well. (In the US, around the end of the year, you will find that the major booksellers have ample stock of "The Prophet")

"The Prophet" is basically prose. It tells a tale of a wise man who visits a town and the people gather round and ask the wiseman to speak to them on specific life situations. It is a very small book, but there is much to ponder in his writing.

There is also a lot of information on this author on the web. Wikipedia has a brief bio on Kalil Gibran.
 
Annette1 said:
Kalil Gibran happens to be one of my favorite authors. This poem is from "The Prophet", first published in 1923 which has never gone out of print. He was Lebanese whose family immigrated to the US. Kalil Gibran died in 1931. His writing is very moving. I would recommend "The Prophet" to anyone. I frequently give this book as a gift. I have been moved to tears by his writing. "Mirrors of the Soul" was very good as well. (In the US, around the end of the year, you will find that the major booksellers have ample stock of "The Prophet")

"The Prophet" is basically prose. It tells a tale of a wise man who visits a town and the people gather round and ask the wiseman to speak to them on specific life situations. It is a very small book, but there is much to ponder in his writing.

There is also a lot of information on this author on the web. Wikipedia has a brief bio on Kalil Gibran.
Click to expand...

This sounds very good. Thank you Annette.
 
Annette1 said:
Kalil Gibran happens to be one of my favorite authors. This poem is from "The Prophet", first published in 1923 which has never gone out of print. He was Lebanese whose family immigrated to the US. Kalil Gibran died in 1931. His writing is very moving. I would recommend "The Prophet" to anyone. I frequently give this book as a gift. I have been moved to tears by his writing. "Mirrors of the Soul" was very good as well. (In the US, around the end of the year, you will find that the major booksellers have ample stock of "The Prophet")

"The Prophet" is basically prose. It tells a tale of a wise man who visits a town and the people gather round and ask the wiseman to speak to them on specific life situations. It is a very small book, but there is much to ponder in his writing.

There is also a lot of information on this author on the web. Wikipedia has a brief bio on Kalil Gibran.
Click to expand...

It is indeed a great book "The Prophet". I really like it. I would say that it is a "must" in our private library. :thup:
 
For continuity, here is the poem as it is written. Thanks for posting this, April. I too, love the first two stanzas, particularly, as they relate to the concept of free will and raising children.

On Children
Kahlil Gibran

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let our bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.
Click to expand...
 
For those of you interested in reading more from Kalil Gibran; he has a collection of short stories as well. A very good one is from "Spirits Rebellious" entitled "The Cry of the Graves". There is also "The Treasured Writings of Kahlil Gibran" which contains much of his work (but not "The Prophet") which consists mainly of his prose and short stories. The copy I have was published by Castle Books.

Here is a quote from Kalil Gibran I find appropriate for this entire forum:

"Spiritual Awakening

Spiritual awakening is the most essential thing in man's life, and it is the sole purpose of being. Is not civilization, in all its tragic forms, a supreme motive for spiritual awakening? Then how can we deny existing matter, while its very existence is unwavering proof of its conformability into the intended fitness? The present civilization may possess a vanishing purpose, but the eternal law has offered to that purpose a ladder whose steps can lead to a free substance."
 
Wow. Kabril's writings from what I have seen/read on
this thread is impressive and very insightful! I will add
Kabril to my private library as well... as soon as I finish
reading The Wave book series 2 to 7+ :)

Thanks for the information!

Dan
 
I agree with everyone else that this is good.
I have developed a view over the years that pieces like this, and any other art form that expresses some objective truth of life, is both valid and meaningful and adds much needed beauty and emotional energy into our being.
On the other hand, its that rhyming, rhythmic, hypnotic type of poetry (especially the morally instructive, preachy kind that uses the 'hexameter' formula) that one has to guard against, because they provide self-contained emotional thinking loops that can influence one's views of this or that.
I have actually heard people express views on all kinds of issues that can be traced directly to poems they love so much. Talk about your path of least resistance!
 
Buddy said:
On the other hand, its that rhyming, rhythmic, hypnotic type of poetry (especially the morally instructive, preachy kind that uses the 'hexameter' formula) that one has to guard against, because they provide self-contained emotional thinking loops that can influence one's views of this or that.
Click to expand...

I didn't know about this property of 'hexameter' formula. Do you have some sources about this topic ?

Just being curious and sorry if it has already been covered in the forum.
 
I think Buddy has a point. I like the poem as well, but "mass hypnosis" should be considered, or watched for.

Why do we strive to self remember? Why do we struggle against sleep?

To be "real." I would say. To do what benefits in a way that leads, at least in potential, to freedom. To Not be part of some feeding, or manipulating film.

Poems can also play a role in distributing B influences. So, would Buddy be willing to elaborate further? :)
 
Buddy said:
I agree with everyone else that this is good.
I have developed a view over the years that pieces like this, and any other art form that expresses some objective truth of life, is both valid and meaningful and adds much needed beauty and emotional energy into our being.
On the other hand, its that rhyming, rhythmic, hypnotic type of poetry (especially the morally instructive, preachy kind that uses the 'hexameter' formula) that one has to guard against, because they provide self-contained emotional thinking loops that can influence one's views of this or that.
I have actually heard people express views on all kinds of issues that can be traced directly to poems they love so much. Talk about your path of least resistance!
Click to expand...

Buddy! You blew my cover! :thdown: I am out of chocolate and was secretly trying to mind control everyone on the forum to send me chocolate via this poem! :whistle:

No seriously Buddy, thank you for that information on how poetry does that. Very interesting. I have never heard of that before, good to know and be aware of. Knowledge protects :cool:
 
Buddy said:
On the other hand, its that rhyming, rhythmic, hypnotic type of poetry (especially the morally instructive, preachy kind that uses the 'hexameter' formula) that one has to guard against, because they provide self-contained emotional thinking loops that can influence one's views of this or that.
Click to expand...

It's been a while since I attended English classes, but as I recall there is a difference between poetry and prose. Poetry has a meter, verse and rhyme. Prose is considered a "writing style". "The Prophet" is prose. Read the offered work, "On Children", and you will notice there is no rhyme or meter. I thought it was worth noting that Gibran's work is largely prose.

And, I too am interested in learning the sources for the "hexameter formula" and the implied hypnotic effect.
 
:P You are quite possibly correct. (about prose) I was never that interested in my English classes. (I already spoke it :) ) But, it's the overall effect that can influence, whether prose or poetry. And there are "paramoralisms" that get inserted into many works of literature of all types.

Not necessarily this one. Just something to be aware of.

I just have really come to understand that "one size fits all," is a red flag. Like, "never tell a lie." Sounds like a good rule for everyone to follow. If only everyone else was playing by the same rules :cry:

But I am still interested in Buddy's clarification.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom