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110 words of pure wisdom! It is interesting that the author of The Measure of a Man is unknown/anonymous. Was this poem a gift to others without the need or expectation of anything in return? As shared in “The Volunteer Wellness Effect”, the secret sauce of giving is to serve as if no one is watching; to come and go without the need for anyone to know you were there. The higher your serving consciousness (in other words, the less your ego is involved), the greater the wellness effect for others…and for you.
The Measure of a Man
Author Unknown/Anonymous
Not “How did he die?” But “How did he live?”
Not “What did he gain?” But “What did he give?”
Not “What was his station?” But “Had he a heart?”
And “How did he play his God-given part?”
Not “What was his shrine?” Nor “What was his creed?”
But “Had he befriended those really in need?”
Not “What did the piece in the newspaper say?”
But “How many were sorry when he passed away?”
Was he ever ready with a word of good cheer,
To bring back a smile, to banish a tear?
These are the units to measure the worth
Of a man as a man, regardless of birth
How do you walk through life? What do you measure and how do you measure up?
Comments welcome!
photo credit: steven harris
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
JD –
As always you rock! Always writing stuff that resonates at exactly the time when you need to read something like that.
Thank you Ryan- glad you liked it and glad the timing is perfect for you…it was perfect for me too.
Hey Jo-Ann – loved that peom! Positive, philosophical and artistic in equal measures. It reminds me a little of the poem “if” by Rudyard Kipling.
Thank you Derek – I am going to read “if” again! Perhaps others will too- thanks for the recommendation.