ACT, ACT IN THE LIVING PRESENT

 

ACT, ACT IN THE LIVING PRESENT

                Mind is always active. It is a running pool of thoughts, ideas, dreams,  feelings, emotions, joys and sorrows. There is repentance as also re-determination.  

            As for human life it demands activity, movement, onward march, dynamism and restlessness.  It believes in doing  one’s  best at the present moment. There should be no postponement.

            A famous  proverb says : “Time and tide wait for none.”   

            What is available at the present moment is certain ; what is to come is uncertain.   

            Another proverb says: Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

            The  English poet-dramatist William Shakespeare (1564-1616)  said in his play Julius Caesar :

“There is a tide in the affairs of men    

Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;

Omitted, all the voyage of their life

Is bound in shallows and in miseries

On such a full sea are we now afloat;

And we must take the current when it serves,

Or lose our ventures.”

 

The English poet Miss A.A.Procter (1825-1864) said in her poem titled Now :

            Rise! For the day is passing

            And you lie dreaming on;

            The others have buckled their armour,

            And forth to the fight are gone:

            A place in the ranks awaits you,

            Each man has some part to play :

            The Past and the Future are nothing,

            In the face of the stern Today.

 

            Rise from your dreams of the Future----

            Of gaining some hard-fought field;

            Of storming some airy fortress,

            Or bidding some giant yield :

            Your future has deeds of glory,

            Of honour (God grant it may !)

            But your arm will never be stronger

            Or the need so great as Today.

                                   

            Rise ! if the past detains you,

            Her sunshine and storms forget ;

            No chains so unworthy to hold you

            As those of a vain regret :

            Sad or bright, she is lifeless ever,

            Cast her phantom arms away,

            Nor look back, save to learn the lesson

            Of a nobler strife Today.

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G.R.Kanwal

19 June 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WORDS PACKED WITH WIT WISDOM

 

WORDS PACKED WITH WIT WISDOM

            Nothing has changed and nothing wiil change. There is no change in the laws of birth and death. The earth is the same in its rotation. Seasons are still what they were before. There is summer, winter, autumn, and the arrival and departure of rains. Winds still blow as before and cross borders. There is no check on the movement of clouds from one country to another. . The sky has the same sun, the same moon, and the same twinkling stars. Neither fruits, nor vegetables have changed. Trees are still growing unalterably and providing nests to both chirping and silent birds.  

            God is still eternal, self-existent, immutable, omnipresent, omnipotent, infinite and omniscient. He is still an everlasting symbol of truth, holiness, justice, righteousness, love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, etc.

            The virtues and vices of human beings have not changed.

            The basic features and habits of birds and beasts are still unaltered.

            However, the conduct of man has undergone a violent change. He has become more unwise than before. Work is now not worship but a source of material progress. War has become incalculably destructive. Diplomacy is less effective than ever before. Most destructive weapons are being manufactured and are being sold as if they were modern toys. Party loyalty is declining. Communalism is not declining. In some countries it is rising. The dream of one world is becoming weaker every day. Co-existence is being forgotten. Very few leaders believe” No men are foreign and no countries are strange. Weapons are being preferred to words of wisdom for solution of international conflicts.

            Fastest trains, longest roads, biggest airports, largest places of worship, and most amazing means of conversation and exchange of information are becoming  a mania,

            A number of people are still poor, untouchable, unemployed, homeless and victims of starvation.

            However, old proverbs packed with wisdom are still valid, though being forgotten. Some of them are:

(i). Love begets love. (ii). It is better to forget and forgive. (iii). Slow and steady wins the race. (iv). Peace has her victories, no less renowned than war. (v). Actions speak louder than words. (Vi). A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. (vii). Handsome is that handsome does. (viiii). The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. (ix). Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. (x). Be kind whenever possible and it is always possible. (Xi). It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light. (xii) Non-violence is a sword that heals. (xiii). There is no way to peace, peace is the way. (xiv). Truth is ever green. (xv). All human beings are born equal in dignity, rights, and shared humanity.

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G.R.Kanwal

18 June 2026         

LOYALTY AND DISLOYALTY

 

LOYALTY AND DISLOYALTY

            “Loyalty” is defined as : the steadfast faithfulness, dedication, and devotion to a person, cause, institution, or ideal.

            It is further defined as honouring  commitments, maintaining trust, and standing by someone or something even in the face of adversity or temptation.

            Note the words: Standing by someone or something even in the face of adversity or temptation.

            There is a famous proverb: Prosperity makes friends, adversity tries them.

            Some synonyms of loyalty are: allegiance, faithfulness, devotion, fidelity, steadfastness, constancy, and sincerity.

            `As a person you need a loyal friend, a faithful relative, and a steadfast companion.

            Offices look for devoted and reliable members of staff.

            Political parties expect their members and office-bearers, to be thoroughly unselfish, loyal and non-defectors.

              A disloyal person is  one who is not loyal or faithful to his friends, family, country , etc.

            Disloyalty in politics is not only disagreeable but also dangerous. Whereas it is popularly deplorable, it plays the destructive role of toppling  governments.

            Here are some famous sayings about politics:

*There is no gambling like politics.

 

*A politician is like quick-silver: if you try to put your finger on him, you find

nothing under it.

 

*We shall have to fight the politician, who remembers only that the unborn have no votes and that since posterity has done nothing for us we need do nothing for posterity.

*There is among you the man who is not bound by party lines.

*Nothing is politically right which is morally wrong.

*He serves his party best who serves the country best.

*Party honesty is party expediency.

*By discharging our duty thoroughly and well, subordinating personal desires to principle, and personal ambition to an exalted love of country, we will not only receive the endorsement of the people, but what is far better, we will deserve their endorsement.

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PUNCHLINE: Loyalty and morality are close friends.

 

G.R.Kanwal

17 June 2026                                                         

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GO, LOVELY ROSE

 

GO, LOVELY ROSE

            “Go, Lovely Rose: is a love poem. It is written by a Cavalier Poet Edmund Waller( 1606-87). According to the history of English literature the characteristics of Cavalier poetry were straightforward language, celebration of the social and material pleasures of life, and a sense that one should enjoy these pleasures while one can since both they and life are fleeting,

            The most notable Cavalier Poets were: Robert Herrick (1591-1674), Richard Lovelace (1617-1657). Thomas Carew (1595-1640), Sir John Suckling 1609-1642),  and Edmund Waller who has been mentioned above for his poem “Go, Lovely Rose.”  

            Love should be enjoyed by the true lovers without wasting any time. The English poet-playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616) said in his  famous song :O Mistress Mine” in the play “Twelfth Night, Act 11, Scene3:  “In delay there lies no plenty; Then come kiss me, sweet and twenty,/Youth’s stuff will not endure.”  

            What follows is Edmund Waller’s full poem in which the rose which itself shows its beauty for a short time,  and then disappears , has been used as a messenger.

                       

            Go, Lovely Rose!

Tell her that wastes her time and me,

That now she knows,

When I resemble her to thee,

How sweet and fair she seems to be.

 

Tell her that’s young,

And shuns to have her graces spied,

That hadst thou sprung

In deserts, where no men abide,

Thou must have uncommended died.

 

Small is the worth

Of beauty from the light retired;

Bid her come forth,

Suffer herself to be desired,

And not blush so to be admired.

 

Then die! that she

The common fate of all things rare

May read in thee;

How small a part of time they share

That are so wondrous sweet and fair!

                        ******

            The English poet Henry Kirke White (1785-1806) added the following stanza to the poem:

 

Yet, though thou fade,

From thy dead leaves let fragrance rise,

And teach the maid

The goodness Time’s rude hand fades,

The virtue lives when beauty dies.

                        *******      

 

G.R.Kanwal

16 June 2026

 

 

 

TALKING ABOUT SELF-LOVE

 

                TALKING  ABOUT  SELF-LOVE

            Self-love is defined as “a state of deep appreciation for yourself, built through actions that support your physical, psychological, and spiritual growth.”  It is also known as “the practice of treating yourself with the same kindness, respect, and forgiveness that you would extend to a cherished friend,”

            A very brief definition is worded as the feeling that your own happiness and wishes are important.  

            Self-love is not self-respect or self-praise.  It is also not selfishness. It is self-care. If you don’t fulfill the demands of your body and mind, you cannot surviv.    

            Self-love does not mean hatred for others. A Biblical saying advises us to love our neighbours as ourselves.

            The English poet and playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616) said: Self-love is no so vile a sin as self-neglecting.

            These days our friends and relatives bid us farewell by saying: Take care of yourself.

            Here are a few famous quotes on the subject of self-love.

*Of all mankind each loves himself the best,---Terence –Roman comic poet (190-150 ).

*The most amiable people are those who least wound the self-love of others.---French essayist and moralist Jean de la Bruyere9(1645-96 ).   

*The cause of all the blunders committed by man arises from excessive self-love. He who intends to be a great man ought to love neither himself nor, his own things, but only what is just, whether it happens to be done by himself or by another.---Greek philosopher Plato (427-347 B, C,)

*Self-love is an instrument useful but dangerous: it often wounds the hand which makes use of it, and seldom does good without doing harm.----Swiss philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau (1718-98).

*Offended self-love never forgives.—French poet and playwright  Louise Jean Baptiste Vigee’(1758-1820).

*Self-love leads men of narrow minds to measure all mankind by their own capacity.---English novelist Jane Porter1776-1850).

*Self-love is the instrument of our preservation; it resembles the provision for the perpetuity of mankind—it is necessary, it is dear to us, it gives us pleasure, and we must possess it. ---French writer and philosopher Voltaire (1694-1778).

            And finally:

*Love thyself last.----English poet and playwright William Shakespeare(1564-1616)

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G.R.Kanwal

15 June 2026

DEVELOPMENT IS ENDLESS

 

DEVELOPMENT IS ENDLESS

            Development is defined as the gradual growth of something so that it becomes more advanced, stronger, etc.

            It is also defined as the process of growth, advancement, or creating something new.

            In a way development is also the synonym of evolution which is defined as the gradual development of plants, animal, etc. over many years as they adapt to changes in their environment .For more facts on this topic, read  Darwin’s theory of the evolution of the human species.

            In politics, one can see sudden violent change instead of gradual development. From democracy to dictatorship, from the policy of peace to that of war, from contentment to dissatisfaction and yearning for more, are a few examples.

            National development means improvement of a country in all areas. The American poet and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson(1803-1882) said:

            Not gold, but only men, can make

            A people great and strong;

            Men who for truth and honor’s sake

            Stand fast and suffer long.  

 

            Specific male figures who contribute  profoundly to the overall development of the world are: thinkers, discoverers, inventors, scientists, industrialists, psychologists, ideologists, educationists, medicos, economists, statesmen, spiritualists, philosophers, people at the helm of affairs, etc.   

 

            It will also be correct to say that men and women of all ranks contribute to the development of a nation.

 

            However, the  greatest role belongs to God’s theory of evolution.  

 

            Development started the day the world was created and will continue till its end. However, development also  has its rise and fall. There are periods of decline, regression, destruction, retrogression, stagnation, etc.

 

            Here is a relevant quote:

           

            “The Roman Empire transformed from a modest Republic into a Mediterranean superpower over centuries, dominating Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. It eventually collapsed due to economic crises, political instability, and unrelenting barbarian invasions, culminating in the West’s fall in 476 CE.”

 

            To conclude, modern man has already invented nuclear weapons of total destruction. While highlighting the existential threat involved in future wars  the German scientist Albert  Einstein (1879-1955)  said: “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but the World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”

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G.R.Kanwal

14 June 2026

     

WHAT MAKES LIFE PERFECT?

 

                                WHAT MAKES LIFE PERFECT?

            Life is made perfect not by the large number of years, but by its worthy deeds which may be accomplished even in a brief period.

            In his poem The Perfect Life, the English poet and playwright Ben Jonson (1572-1837) says: Perfection does not consist in bulk. The highest beauty in nature is not seen in a tall oak tree, standing for three hundred years, but in a lily which blossoms and dies in a day.

            Look at these lines taken from his poem:

It is not growing like a tree /In bulk, doth make man better be.

A lily of a day/Is fairer far in May/Although it fall and die that night--/It was the plant and flower of Light./In small proportions we just beauties see;/And in short measures life may perfect be.

 

          English romantic poets John Keats (1795-1821), Lord Byron (1788-1824) and P.B.Shelley (1792-1822) lived a short but perfect life. They are immortal in English literature. Keats said: A thing of beauty is a joy for ever. Byron’s famous quote is: I love not man the less, but Nature more. And see this great quote by P.B.Shelley: We look before and after/And pine for what is not/Our sincerest laughter/With some pain is fraught.

 

            Here is another poet talking about brief but perfect life. He is Robert Herrick (1591-1674). The following three stanzas are taken from his most popular poem To Blossoms:

 

Fair pledges of a fruitful tree,/Why do ye fall so fast?/Your date is not so past,/But you may stay yet here a-while,/To blush and gently smile;/And go at last.

 

What, were ye born to be/An hour or half’s delight,/And so bid good-night?/’Twas  pity Nature brought ye forth,/Merely to show your worth./And lose you quite.

 

But you are lovely leaves, where we/May read how soon things have/Their end, though ne’er so brave:/And after they have shown their pride,/Like you a-while;---they glide/Into the grave.

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PUNCHLINE: The life of a mosquito is short but very active.

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G.R.Kanwal

12 June 2026