Wednesday Wisdom

WHO?

“Yours is the earth and everything in it”, is the penultimate line to Rudyard Kipling’s inspirational poem IF. Kipling’s poem is vaunted in England and in western literature as one of inspiration and hope which seemingly belies the tragic life of Rudyard Kipling.

Kipling was born in Bombay India in 1865 during the period of British colonial rule to English parents. His parents, as ex-pats, in the custom of the time sent the six-year-old Rudyard and his younger sister Alice (“Trix”) to live and to be schooled with foster people in England. The children were placed in the care of a couple named Captain and Mrs. Holloway in Southsea, near Portsmouth. Mrs. Holloway, who ran the household, was exceptionally strict, harsh, and emotionally abusive, particularly toward Kipling. He later described this time as a "House of Desolation” and influenced his short story named Baa Baa, Black Sheep. The short story is a thinly veiled depiction of this traumatic experience. It tells of two siblings, "Punch" and "Judy", who are sent away from their parents and endure similar hardships. The story conveys themes of abandonment, resilience, and the struggles of childhood, all of which would become central themes of his work throughout his life.

Kipling married Caroline Balestier in 1892 and settled in Brattleboro Vermont, where he wrote masterpieces like The Jungle Book and Captains Courageous. Josephine and Elsie were born in Vermont and his son John born in England on the families return in 1897. His time in Vermont countryside and while raising his daughters inspired his famous children literature such as The Jungle Book and Just So Stories, which included whimsical tales, like How the Elephant Got His Trunk, which were written for his daughter Josephine, who adored his storytelling.

Tragedy fell on Kipling when his eldest daughter Josephine died of pneumonia in 1899 and later when his only son, John, was killed in World War I in 1915. Kipling’s grief found expression in his later works, the once-confident imperialist began questioning the costs of war and human suffering. His writing, particularly after losing his second child stands as both a personal expression of loss and a tribute to those who shared similar sacrifices.

What he produced

Along with the children's stories, Kipling also wrote Captain Courageous while in Vermont. He was also known for The Man who would be King, Kim, Gunga Din and the Irish Guards in the Great War which was in honor of his fallen son. Kipling often explored the complexities of the British Empire, sometimes glorifying its mission, as in the poem The White Man’s Burden (1899), which remains controversial for its imperialist tone. In 1907, Kipling was awarded the Nobel prize in literature, at age of 41 the youngest to receive the award.

In 1910, Kipling published Rewards and Faires, a book of poems and short stories. The poem was inspired by the Jameson raid in Africa where the British looked to overthrow the Dutch colony. Despite the initial catalyst, the poem was written more as a life lesson and an inspirational piece to his son.

The poem is written in anaphora, which is the technique of repetition of a word in the beginning of the stanza. This technique has been used in speeches from Martin Luther King to Winston Churchill and gives the words a chant like quality. This particular poem has been cited as a source of inspiration by figures such as Nelson Mandela, Chris Evert, Muhammad Ali, T.S. Eliot, and Michael Phelps, all of whom have drawn strength from its message when facing adversity.

If you can keep your head when all about you
    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
    But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
    Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
    And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
    If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
    And treat those two impostors just the same:
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
    And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
    And risk it on one turn of pitch and toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
    ⁠And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
    To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
    ⁠Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
    Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
    If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
    With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
    ⁠And—which is more—you'll be a Man, my son!

2024- Why it matters

There are recurring themes throughout Kipling’s writing that are as relevant today as in the past and appeal to any age or culture. The Jungle Book and Kim reflect Kipling's fascination with adventure and the blending of cultures. His children’s stories and poems often carry moral undertones and explore themes of resilience, responsibility, and the search for identity.

The poem IF is written like a stoic philosophical piece in the form of a father giving advice to his son on how to navigate life's challenges with wisdom and integrity. It emphasizes the stoic virtues of patience, perseverance, and self-discipline.

Although Kipling lived a tragic life, his legacy is one of inspiration to countless people.

And now you know...

Thanks, Dad, for the gift of curiosity!

Philosophy is the art of thinking, the building block of progress that shapes critical thinking across economics, ethics, religion, and science.

METAPHYSICS: Literally, the term metaphysics means ‘beyond the physical.’ Typically, this is the branch that most people think of when they picture philosophy. In metaphysics, the goal is to answer what and how questions in life. Who are we, and what are time and space?

LOGIC: The study of reasoning. Much like metaphysics, understanding logic helps to understand and appreciate how we perceive the rest of our world. More than that, it provides a foundation for which to build and interpret arguments and analyses.

ETHICS: The study of morality, right and wrong, good and evil. Ethics tackles difficult conversations by adding weight to actions and decisions. Politics takes ethics to a larger scale, applying it to a group (or groups) of people. Political philosophers study political governments, laws, justice, authority, rights, liberty, ethics, and much more.

AESTHETICS: What is beautiful? Philosophers try to understand, qualify, and quantify what makes art what it is. Aesthetics also takes a deeper look at the artwork itself, trying to understand the meaning behind it, both art as a whole and art on an individual level. A question an aesthetics philosopher would seek to address is whether or not beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

EPISTEMOLOGY: This is the study and understanding of knowledge. The main question is how do we know? We can question the limitations of logic, how comprehension works, and the ability (or perception) to be certain.