An Inspirational Poem for Second Semester

We have now arrived at a new semester in the current school year. It is not uncommon for students to grow discouraged around this time, for though they have come far, they still have a seemingly endless road ahead of them. In my last post titled "Hard Work: The Cultivation of Self," I went into detail about how all this work is not for nothing. While the things I touched on are valuable ideas, I often find that rhetorical flourishes do not always get to the point. With this in mind, I present you the following poem by George Eliot, so that you may find the meaning in it for yourselves.

Making Life Worth While

Every soul that touches yours -
Be it the slightest contact -
Get there from some good;
Some little grace; one kindly thought;
One aspiration yet unfelt;
One bit of courage
For the darkening sky;
One gleam of faith
To brave the thickening ills of life;
One glimpse of brighter skies -
To make this life worthwhile
And heaven a surer heritage.