Thursday, February 07, 2013

YOUTH


Youth is not a stage of life
it is a mental stage;
it is impetus, drive of the will,
an active, alert and vivid imagination
confidence in your emotions.
It is bravery winning over cowardice,
love of adventure triumphing over lethargy.
Nobody gets old because s/he lived a certain amount of years,
only when one's ideals have faded in the distance.
With the years skin gets wrinkly
but the surrender of inspiration wrinkles the soul.
Worries, doubts, loss of confidence, fears and hopelessness,
those are the bricks which pull your head towards the ground
and bend an honest and upright spirit into the dust.
Seventy or seventeen, in the hearts of every human being lives a yearning for the wondrous,
sublime awe at the sight of eternal stars, thoughts and things,
the fearless venture,
the insatiable childlike suspense that the next day brings,
the exuberant joy and zest for life.
You are as young as your dreams,
as old as your doubts,
as young as your confidence,
as old as your fears,
as young as your hopes,
as old as your despair.
As long as the message about beauty, joy, daring, greatness
about the earth,
about the people,
about the infinite
reach your heart, you are still young.
Only when the wings hang downward, and your heart is covered by the snow of pessimism and the ice of cynicism,
only then have you become truly old.