I believe that most adults are familiar with the phrase, "the bast-laid schemes of mice and men," though I wonder how many know its origins in the Robbie Burns poem, "Ode to a Mouse." I truly love the whole poem (in its original Scottish dialect), but I'll only quote the last two stanzas here:
But Mousie, thou are no thy-lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men,
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!Still, thou art blest, compar'd wi' me!
The present only toucheth thee:
But Och! I backward cast my e'e,
On prospects drear!
An' forward, tho' I canna see,
I guess an' fear
In Burns' narrative, he observes a field mouse scamper away in terror as its nest is disturbed. He contrasts the mouse's terror at present events with his own ability to remember his past and to speculate on his own future. The uncertainty of what he imagines causes him a terror that the mouse cannot imagine.
To provide a stark contrast to Burns' glum perspective on his future prospects, I want to turn the scene inside-out for you. With few exceptions, men and women are not mice and even though we can remember the past and dread the future, unlike mice, we have choices. Burns' "Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim'rous beastie" fulfills its destiny just by being what it is, and doing what it does. You and I, on the other hand — well-noted in the "Ode" — have a purpose that includes our responsibility to the future: our own and others'.
I ask you, "What lies at the root of your fear?" Perhaps, there's a sense either that you'll never know why you're here, or, even worse, knowing it, you'll be unable to meet the challenge. At the same time that you know that your best hope for success lies in careful planning (the life strategy I call 'anticipation'), you also know all too well about "the best-laid schemes o' mice an' men." What's the use of planning, if the outcome's always doubtful?
That brings me to the writings of another of the contemporaries of Robbie Burns, this time, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean: Thomas Jefferson, the author of our Declaration of Independence. He wrote that we were "endowed by [our] Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Wrong! So long as humankind lives in pursuit of happiness, we're engaged in a life-long exercise in futility, forever chasing our tails. Happiness is not an end in itself, it's the byproduct of an honest pursuit. Not only is happiness a moving target, your destiny or purpose is also constantly evolving. Every opportunity you're presented with, every choice you make alters the course of your life. Your destiny is no fixed point; it's the confluence of your potential with your choices.
What about your plans? As the saying goes, "Humankind proposes; God disposes." Or, again, "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans." Be assured that, without plans, nothing meaningful would ever get accomplished. You provide, after all, the only intentionality our universe possesses. On the other hand, every goal that you choose is only preliminary. In striving for that goal, you are preparing yourself (and the universe with you) for the next one, and the one after that. You could not be where you are if you did not do what you've done.
Don't grieve over goals not reached and promises left unfulfilled! Each one was only a stepping-stone to something beyond itself, anyway. If you're actually reading this, then you must ask yourself, "Would God allow me to come this far, just to drop me on my head?" The good news is that you have a unique and critical contribution to make to the story of humankind. The bad news is that you may never know exactly what that contribution may have been. When opportunity comes your way, why fear? If it requires a change of direction, why hesitate? Detach! Let go of your pet ends and means; your destiny is much greater than you couild imagine. Plan, yes, but leave the results in God's hands. Be ready to become a prophet: read the 'signs of the times' and move forward proactively (and courageously). You know it's true that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
H. Les Brown, MA, FCC
Copyright © 2008 H. Les Brown
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