Do not live half a life
and do not die a half death
If you choose silence, then be silent
When you speak, do so until you are finished
If you accept, then express it bluntly
Do not mask it
If you refuse then be clear about it
for an ambiguous refusal is but a weak acceptance
Do not accept half a solution
Do not believe half truths
Do not dream half a dream
Do not fantasize about half hopes
Half the way will get you no where
You are a whole that exists to live a life
not half a life.
Khalil Gibran, The Prophet
I must confess that the only thing I know about Khalil Gibran's The Prophet is that it was a favourite book of Elvis Presley. Elvis read it so often that he committed it to memory and would quote it often.
The image is of an annotated copy of the book that Elvis gave to Ed Parker, Elvis' friend, sparring partner and occasional bodyguard.
It can lead to a lonely path. I am forever holding back my views, knowing that they would draw me into debilitating debate and controversy. I've spent a lifetime masking and mirroring, cutting myself down to the size of those I'm seeking to engage with. I am quick at discerning their views and expectations. To continue communication, I have to make a decision to mirror. (I may be somewhat eccentric, but it's rare for me to find someone on the same wavelength). It's pointless. If those others can't accept you as you are you don't need them in your life. And the price of acceptance is the buried life. It is exhausting having to monitor and manage your own speech in order to appease others. I've had to do this with certain family members, even, always curtailing my true thoughts to meet them on their own level. Keeping the peace in these terms, however, is an appeasement, which is really surrender by another name. You should always try to meet people halfway, understand and respect their way. If you do that, then you can also expect people to show you the same courtesy. Be yourself and let people know your true thoughts. You will attract the people you need in your life, and repel those who will force you into a buried life of appeasement and acceptance.
