Do Not Go Gentle...

DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

--Dylan Thomas

Okay, so I have to make two confessions. First of all, though I’ve heard parts of this poem several times, I really never “got it.” Secondly, I was moved to understanding recently while hearing it recited by Rodney Dangerfield in the movie “Back to School”. I would never have imagined being emotionally moved by Rodney Dangerfield!

Dylan Thomas wrote this for his elderly father who was dying. Though my kids might think of me as elderly, at 49 years old I hardly qualify. However, the mounting gray hairs and crows’ feet remind me daily that I am not a kid any more. Will I go gentle into the night? A few years ago, I probably would have said yes. I was content to let myself go soft, not care about my diet or how my carb-laden, sedentary life was wrecking havoc on my future. No longer. I will not go gentle. It is not that I am afraid of old age or of dying. NO! That is a natural part of life. But I have found that I can fight back. Choices I make NOW will affect my future. I understand that there are no guarantees, certainly. But who on earth would argue against going into later years with strength and vitality? We need to fight the urge to be couch potatoes. We need to fight the urge to consume junk food. We need to get moving. Start walking, then running! Start picking up heavy stuff, then start carrying heavy stuff around!

People are getting old before their time and I think it is largely due to the fact that they have gone gentle. I think of the older people I know that I admire the most. These are people who have kept active, kept engaged in the community, and kept going through adversity. These are people who have not quit. They have not gone gentle.

What did Rodney Dangerfield say when asked what that poem meant to him? “It means I don’t take sh&t from no one!”

Do not go gentle.