If

When I first read "If", I thought it was one of the best poems ever written to inspire ethical behavior. As Paul Harvey used to say "here's the rest of the story."

Rudyard Kipling sat at his desk in 1910, his pen poised over paper as he contemplated the changing world around him. The British Empire stretched across the globe, and society grappled with evolving notions of manhood and virtue. In this climate, Kipling began to craft what would become one of his most enduring works - the poem "If". A poem I have always found a good touchstone but have hardly lived up to.

As he wrote, Kipling's thoughts drifted to events that had transpired fifteen years earlier. The Jameson Raid, a failed incursion against the Boer government, had captured his imagination. Dr. Leander Starr Jameson, the raid's leader, embodied a stoic resilience that Kipling deeply admired. This historical episode began to weave itself into the verses taking shape on his page.

But Jameson wasn't Kipling's sole inspiration. As he penned each line, the author found himself thinking of his young son, John. Kipling pondered what guidance he could offer, what wisdom he could impart to help his boy navigate life's challenges and grow into a man of substance.

The poem took form as a series of conditional statements, each line offering a piece of fatherly advice. "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs..." Kipling began, crafting a roadmap of virtues - patience, perseverance, integrity, and humility.

When Kipling finally set down his pen, he had created more than just a father's words to his son. He had distilled the values held dear by his society - the stiff upper lip, unwavering resolve, and quiet dignity that Britons prided themselves on.

Kipling included "If" in his collection "Rewards and Fairies," unaware of the resonance it would find with readers. To his surprise and gratitude, the poem struck a chord that would continue to vibrate through the years.

In retrospect, "If" encapsulated not just Kipling's personal ideals, but those of an entire era. It became a snapshot of the hopes, beliefs, and understanding of what it meant to be a good man in a complex world. While the empire Kipling knew has faded, his words have found a life of their own, speaking to generations long after his time.

If

By Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;

If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And—which is more—you'll be a Man, my son!