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;
From the poem, "If" by Rudyard Kipling (1865 - 1936)
This reflection on growing up by the poet offers a high standard of civility and a steady-as-she-goes approach to life.
My take is that if we can see beyond the rocking boat to the stable distant horizon - we can move forward through the current storm.
Juking past the folks around us who see doom and uncertainty ahead and are quick to proclaim our doom may not mean clear sailing, but by ignoring the urge to throw it back in their face we can move forward without getting stuck in yesterday's mud.
Instead, if we can see ourselves in their shoes for a moment and pause to reflect without becoming restless... then we won't waste energy on unproductive acts.
Looking to the good means ignoring the nasty stuff said without fighting back and letting the slings and arrows bounce off our back without throwing them back from whence they came.
You get a sense of hope and promise in Kipling's words - the notion of a better someday at the end of what feels like a long, winding, and impossible journey - with a triumph and a worth-while reward.
The poem concludes:
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!
Kipling
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