In 1989, the movie "Dead Poets Society" starring Robin Williams was released. It tells the story of an English teacher, named John Keating (Williams), who inspires his students through his teaching of poetry. In one scene, he takes his students out of the classroom and into the corridor. He then asks one of his students to open his hymnal to a certain page and read the first stanza of the poem he finds there. The student reads out loud:
"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, old time is still a flying, and this same flower that smiles today, tomorrow will be dying."
Mr. Keating then says, "'Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.' The Latin term for that sentiment is Carpe Diem" and asks his students who knows what that means. A student replies, "'Carpe Diem. That's 'seize the day.'". Mr. Keating then asked why the writer used those lines. A student answers, "because he is in a hurry". Mr. Keating replied, "No, ding!", slamming his hand down on an imaginary buzzer. He adds, "Because we are food for worms lads. Because, believe it or not, each and every one of us in this room is one day going to stop breathing, turn cold, and die." Mr. Keating then turns towards a trophy case filled with trophies, footballs, and pictures of former students, telling his students to step forward, and then says:
"They're not that different from you, are they? Same haircuts. Full of hormones, just like you. Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they're destined for great things, just like many of you, their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because, you see gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it? - - Carpe - - hear it? - - Carpe, carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary."
Mr. Keating is correct. We are food for worms. We will grow old and someday go to our eternal home. In the Bible, we read the following lines:
"Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, and the doors on the street are shut — when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low — they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets" (Ecclesiastes 12:1-14).
With that wonderful poetry, the writer describes the aging process. I read at Ray Stedman.org (http://www.raystedman.org/old-testament/ecclesiastes/before-its-too-late) an explanation for each verse. I'd like to quote them here:
1.) "before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain," refers to the fading of the mental powers of an individual as he grows older. These mental faculties are described in terms of light. The mind, with its powers of reasoning, of memory and of imagination begins to fade, like the fading of the light of the sun.
2.) "the clouds returning after the rain," is a reference to a kind of second childhood, of senility, which comes on in old age. As a child, one's life revolves around three simple things: eating, sleeping, and going to the bathroom. When one gets old that same cycle returns again.
3.) "the day when the keepers of the house tremble." That refers to the arms and the hands, by which we defend ourselves if we are attacked; "the keepers of the house," which are so useful in maintaining the body, which begin to shake and tremble when old age comes on.
4.) "the strong men are bent," is a reference to the legs, the strongest parts of the body, which start to shake and tremble in old age.
5.) "the grinders ceasing because they are few." Refers to losing teeth as one gets old.
6.) "Those that look through the windows are dimmed" is clearly referring to the fading of the eyesight as old age approaches
7.) "the doors on the street are shut," is a vivid picture of what happens when the teeth fall. The doors of the face, the lips, fall in, one begins to mouth everything. When that happens "the doors to the street" are obviously shut.
8.) "when the sound of the grinding is low", this is a reference to the fact that when people lose their teeth - this of course, was written before the day of dentures - the old have to resort to gumming their food.
9.) "one rises up at the voice of a bird." This is characteristic of the aged, who are easily awakened in the morning. Even the sound of chirping of birds outside the window awakens them.
10.) "all the daughters of song are brought low." A reference to the ears and the increasing deafness of old age. "The daughters of song, " those parts of our body by which we hear the song, are brought low; they lose their powers. One of the signs of old age is that everybody seems to talk in a much lower tone of voice than they used to; people mumble all the time, as "the daughters of song are brought low."
11.) "they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way." A reference on the increasing fears brought on by old age. They are afraid of the cracks in the sidewalk; they are afraid to mount stairs. They do not even want to drive at night because they are afraid of things "in the way."
12.) "The almond tree blossoms" is clearly a reference to the hair, which turns white as old age approaches. That is one of the first signs of old age. Like the white blossoms of the almond tree, one begins to take on a quite different look as age comes on.
13.) "the grasshopper drags itself along." Refers to difficulty in walking, to the infirm and feeble steps of the very aged.
14.) "desire fails." That is a reference to sexual desire. It may be a great comfort to many of you to see that that is last on the list; it is the last thing to go, according to this.
15.) "Man goes to his eternal home". The end of life is death.
Life is short so "seize each day". Start doing now what you need to do to be successful in life. Repent. Serve God and remember Him while you are still young. Do not wait for the last minute.
Photo:
sharethefiles.com
References:
Wikipedia
http://www.peterweircave.com/dps/script.html
http://www.raystedman.org/old-testament/ecclesiastes/before-its-too-late
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