This is a morning
prayer so old, it was translated from
Sanskrit:
Look to this day, for it is life.
The very breath of life.
In its brief course lie all the realities of your existence.
The bliss of growth,
The glory of action,
the splendor of beauty.
Yesterday is only a dream,
And tomorrow is only a vision,
But today,
Well lived,
Makes every yesterday a dream of happiness,
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well therefore
To this day.
I have always felt a sense of awe at the age of the Indian civilization. For example, the Harappans lived in planned cities with running fresh water and sewage systems over 5,000 years ago. The wisdom of their beliefs is also profound. Many, myself included, respect Indian spiritual philosophies (some to a greater, and some to a lesser extent).
This poem has stayed in my head since I learned it in high school 30 years ago, and I refer to it often and tell it to others. Its simple logic and inspiration help give me the energy to keep going. The best thing about it is that it is the absolute truth.
Excalibre points out that the harappan civilization and the sanskrit civilization were completely separate. The origin of the harappans is not known for certain, but that he doesn't believe anyone thinks that they are connected with the
Vedic culture. My point is that I wasn't trying to connect them, I was only commenting on the depth of the Indian experience in toto. Multiple civilizations over thousands of years is pretty deep.