A Message in a Time Capsule
A note to myself from the past
Many of us wish we could travel back in time to give advice to our younger, inexperienced selves, sharing acquired wisdom and perspective. I find myself in a reverse scenario — I’ve recently received a meaningful message from my younger self. This unexpected communication, once forgotten, has suddenly resurfaced.
When I was young, I often imagined sending messages to myself through time. Recently I received one. The message arrived as a line from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem “Ulysses,” a piece that captivated me in my youth. The line that surfaced in my memory is: “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”
In the poem, Ulysses, restless in his old age and still possessing an adventurous spirit, is unsatisfied with a quiet life and yearns for new adventures. He longs for the excitement of his past and wishes to challenge the world again.
“T is not too late to seek a newer world…..To sail beyond the sunset…..Of all the western stars, until I die.”
This depiction of Ulysses’ undiminished desire for exploration and his resolute refusal to yield to life’s adversities resonated with me as we examined the poem in high school. I imagined a future where I would need these words: “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” It was a prescient communication with my future self, an aid for tough times. My youthful vision of myself was of a life filled with travel and learning, the message was urging myself to continue the quest for transcendent adventure, even if it was difficult.
Now, at 72, after enduring significant challenges, including the loss of a home and business and the estrangement of my daughter, and having lived a life of some adventure and significant travel, these words have returned to me with profound impact. They serve as a challenge and a reminder of the resilience and perseverance required to continue taking on life.
“To strive” has become a need for persistence, encouraging me to continue exploring and learning. It symbolizes the constant journey of life, the importance of relentless pursuit — “always roaming with a hungry heart.”
“To seek” — My younger self understood the beauty of always searching, of never settling for the status quo. It encourages me to embrace never-ending curiosity, reminding me that there’s always value in seeking out new adventures, new perspectives — “To follow knowledge like a sinking star.”
“To find” represents the joy of travel, of unexpected moments of clarity. It underscores the joy of continuing discovery — “Much have I seen and known…”
“And not to yield” embodies resilience. It is a call to remain focused and not give up in the face of setbacks. It’s a powerful declaration of endurance and strength — “How dull it is to pause, to make an end…”
Reflecting on these words and their resonance with my life, I’m grateful to my younger self for this timeless message that transcends circumstances. Thank you for reminding me that life is a worthwhile and formidable endeavor. And most importantly, thank you for helping me remember to strive, to seek, to find, and never to yield, no matter where life’s path leads. I send a message back through time,” I’m grateful for your youthful insight.”
Ulisses ( excerpts)
It little profits that an idle king,
By this still hearth, among these barren crags…
I cannot rest from travel: I will drink
Life to the lees: All times I have enjoy’d
I am become a name
For always roaming with a hungry heart
Much have I seen and known; cities of men
And manners, climates, councils, governments…
I am a part of all that I have met;
Yet all experience is an arch wherethro’
Gleams that untravell’d world whose margin fades
For ever and forever when I move.
How dull it is to pause, to make an end,
To rust unburnish’d, not to shine in use!
As tho’ to breathe were life! Life piled on life
Were all too little, and of one to me
Little remains: but every hour is saved
From that eternal silence, something more,
A bringer of new things..
And this gray spirit yearning in desire
To follow knowledge like a sinking star,
Beyond the utmost bound of human thought…
There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail:
There gloom the dark, broad seas…
Old age hath yet his honour and his toil;
Death closes all: but something ere the end,
Some work of noble note, may yet be done,
Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.
The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks:
The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep
Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends,
'T is not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.
Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and tho’We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
