6 - Challenge your fears

In the fourth verse notice Longfellow's keen observation about the human mind when he writes :

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

The word Art has perhaps been used by Longfellow, to convey the multifaceted abilities of the human race. He echoes what goes through our minds every time we hear of death, that we as individuals have so much more to do, to achieve, to attain and we are fearful that if death pays us a visit, our hopes & dreams would remain unfulfilled.

We put on a brave face, sympathize with those who have lost a beloved one, console one another and yet beneath the bravado and dapper appearance,  our hearts beat faster echoing our innermost fears and our mind's turbulence. Sadly during this phase the only song that springs to mind are the mournful tunes and words of the funeral marches (songs sung at funerals) highlighting our obsession with our Existence.

On a more subtle note, Longfellow is perhaps urging us  not to be so obsessed with Life per se but is hinting that we need to utilize our life in pursuit of our passions, our dreams and our aspirations and to get over our morbid fears. 


Action Points:

• List out your dreams / passions.
• Outline how you propose to work on it / pursue it with greater interest.
• Do something that you dislike / fear /dread eg. if you have a fear of heights at least try to visit the top floor of a high rise building or you could make an effort to read for an hour every day for 2 weeks (lack of time or a dislike for reading being assumed here)

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