Log #7

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

- Dylan Thomas (1914 ~ 1953)

From time to time, I picture how my life would look like ten years from now. I wonder where I would be, what career I would possess, and what kind of father I would become. The poem above was written by Dylan Thomas, and it was a dedication to his dying father. Thomas wrote this poetry in order to show his rage towards his inevitable faith, and to show his respect towards his beloved father. He could not accept the fact that his father would ultimately pass away; therefore, he wrote these words to encourage readers to fight against the Death and humans' inevitable faiths. From this poetry, we are able to understand how tiny we human beings are, and how few opportunities we have when we face our endings.

I always see myself as a man who cannot live without mental treatment. Frankly speaking, it is extremely difficult for me to deal with my various emotions aroused by multiple incidents - incidents that may be seemed as unworthy to some people, yet, easily cause strong effects on me. I have been living this way for years, and from my personal experiences and doctor's suggestions, I may have to endure these pessimistic characteristics the rest of my life. Though desperate it may sounds, I gradually accept this fact and understand I will have to view this as a part of my life as a human.

The picture was taken while I was reading The Old Man and the Sea in a book store. The book reminded me of Dylan Thomas's poetry about an old man fighting against his faith. Sadly, I didn't have enough time to finish reading the book and didn't have enough knowledge and experiences to understand what the book was trying to teach me. However, the one thing that I learned was that I cannot live without my faith. Indeed, what would I be if I do not have the abilities to overcome the impossibilities? What chances do I have if I have no courage to take risks living the consequences?

A great singer* once wrote his last words before he shot himself: It is better to burn out, than fade away. This quote has now become my motto that encourages me to move on whenever I'm depress and seek for a easy way out. After I read about his background history and listened to his legacies to this world, I learned that though we all face demons in our minds, we get to choose to follow its will or deny its existence. Night is the darkest before the dawn, so do not go gentle into that good night. We all shall come to an end someday, yet, we all have the chances to stay and not fade away. Let us all burn our rage while we still can, and light up the darkness and leave out all the rest.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

*Kurt Cobain (1967 ~ 1994), the vocal of the legendary band Nirvana