“You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your despair. In the central place of every heart, there is a recording chamber; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, and courage, so long are you young.” Douglas MacArthur, General, U.S. Army
Love these words of wisdom! Let’s unpack them a bit to guide our writing sessions today:
“You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt”—When we have faith in our work, we believe in its value and in ourselves. Belief gives us strength and purpose—it anchors us and helps us weather the ups and downs of the writing life. It keeps us young and engaged.
On the other hand, doubt saps our strength. It makes us question what we’re doing. It pokes holes in our faith, the way a holes deflates a balloon. Doubt drains!
[You are] “as young as your self-confidence, as old as your despair”—Self-confidence gives our work wings! We soar on the currents of can-do energy and are uplifted and sustained, no matter what circumstances the universe throws our way.
On the other hand, despair makes us feel old and hopeless. It can make us feel that nothing we are doing makes a difference Despair drains!
And finally, Douglas tells us,
“…there is a “recording chamber in every heart; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer and courage, so long are you young.”
Our heart, as Douglas says so well, is fed by the messages we give it.
We can nourish our heart with “messages of beauty, hope, cheer, and courage” which enliven us—or with messages of doubt and despair, which sap our strength.
The choice is ours. Let’s fill our hearts with beauty and hope, with cheer and courage. And then uplifted and emboldened, let’s all write on!
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