This famous quotation from the German poet and philosopher Goethe, contains a valuable idea. Life is not just a reverie, a dream. It is much more than that. It is action, endeavour for great and heroic deeds. Without energetic action, life would stagnate. Without great deeds, life would become static and would lose much of its charm. A life of thought and reflection would be quite futile if thought never emerges to issue practical action.
This does not, however, mean that contemplation has no place in life. Contemplation induces the peace of mind, tranquility and contentment. Great ideals are usually a product of contemplation. Practically, all the germinal ideas of the world came for from thinkers and philosophers for whom contemplation was a habit. Without mature reflection and cool deliberation, nothing should be done. Meditation and silent prayer are purifying agents for the soul and a sedative for the nerves. But contemplation should never be regarded as the aim or reason of human life. If great ideas offered to the world by philosophers had not been translated into action by practical men, they would have been lost. If the teachings of thinkers like Rousseau and Voltaire had not been given a concrete shape in the form of position, there would have been no revolution and no political progress in France.
The march of civilization has largely depended upon men of action, men for whom adventure was the breath of life, men in whom the desire to do brave deeds was supreme. How much does the world owe to its great explorers, navigators and mountain climbers who faced the wrath of nature and fury of the elements in order to satisfy their inner urge for action?
Vocabulary
Contemplation—meditative
Contentment—satisfaction
Supreme—of utmost importance
