This is a poem from the Greek poet Constantine P. Cavafy. The poem is written for young people to help them understand some realities about their path, their way to life.
The subject of the poem is the journey of Odysseus towards his island Ithaca after the war in Troy. As you may know, Odysseus’s adventures lasted 10 years. In that period, he fought against monsters and giants (Cyclops), and gone through dangerous paths, survived from many attacks and escaped from witches. Ithaca was the ultimate goal for Odysseus.
In the poem, Ithaca is the target that everyone sets for his life (may set more than one), the goal to achieve. The importance of the target is insignificant compared to the journey you have to travel to get there. The experiences gained from the journey are much more valuable than the target itself. Enjoy the beauty of the lines …
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ithaca
When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,
pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the angry Poseidon -- do not fear them:
You will never find such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your spirit and your body.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not set them up before you.
Pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many, when,
with such pleasure, with such joy
you will enter ports seen for the first time;
stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensual perfumes of all kinds,
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
visit many Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from scholars.
Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for many years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.
Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would have never set out on the road.
She has nothing more to give you.
And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.
Wise as you have become, with so much experience,
you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.
Constantine P. Cavafy (1911)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
… you must already have understood what Ithacas mean…
They mean nothing… is the effort of getting there that it does.
It’s like a millionaire. You can become a millionaire by two ways; either by working hard and intelligently and earn the money, or by finding them ready on your table from your dad. But who is richer? If you read the poem, I need not to answer that question.
It is also like martial arts! Have you noticed the little word DO in the name of most of Asian martial arts? DO in Aikido, in Tae Kwon Do, in Judo, in Jeet Kune Do and countless other. This little word includes all the meaning of the poem above! It means road, way, path. It is the journey you have to go through to get to your target, to learn the secrets of the martial art.
Ok, you ask, what’s the purpose of this lecture? What this has to do with DJing? How this is going to help me get girls?
It won’t! This is not a technique you can apply to a club or to a bar. This is not a tip. This only tells you to be patient and not quit in frond of the first difficulty. Because is not the result you are looking for. The result will come at last (if you try long enough). It won’t mean much. It is the experience you earn from the process that it counts, that will stay with you as you get older.
I had a discussion with a popular in this forum poster (I don’t know if he agrees mentioning his nickname, so I don’t), and he came with an argument:
"After finally achieving my goal I had craved for so long, I felt like it was a big waste of time! "
I did not agree with that! I said that he is able to judge if the goal worth the effort because he learned and had experiences. If he didn't, then he would not be in a position to decide. He corrected his statement saying that the knowledge he gained worth the time!
Don’t expect to reach your target in a day or two. Don’t rush it. There is not a perfect DJ anyway. You have a long way to go and be happy about it since you have lot to learn. It is the knowledge that is important. Every little detail adds a small piece :
"You live you learn
You love you learn
You cry you learn..."
You get rejected you learn
You get laid you learn
The longer the journey, the biggest is the reward!
-MOb
The subject of the poem is the journey of Odysseus towards his island Ithaca after the war in Troy. As you may know, Odysseus’s adventures lasted 10 years. In that period, he fought against monsters and giants (Cyclops), and gone through dangerous paths, survived from many attacks and escaped from witches. Ithaca was the ultimate goal for Odysseus.
In the poem, Ithaca is the target that everyone sets for his life (may set more than one), the goal to achieve. The importance of the target is insignificant compared to the journey you have to travel to get there. The experiences gained from the journey are much more valuable than the target itself. Enjoy the beauty of the lines …
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ithaca
When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,
pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the angry Poseidon -- do not fear them:
You will never find such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your spirit and your body.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not set them up before you.
Pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many, when,
with such pleasure, with such joy
you will enter ports seen for the first time;
stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensual perfumes of all kinds,
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
visit many Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from scholars.
Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for many years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.
Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would have never set out on the road.
She has nothing more to give you.
And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.
Wise as you have become, with so much experience,
you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.
Constantine P. Cavafy (1911)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
… you must already have understood what Ithacas mean…
They mean nothing… is the effort of getting there that it does.
It’s like a millionaire. You can become a millionaire by two ways; either by working hard and intelligently and earn the money, or by finding them ready on your table from your dad. But who is richer? If you read the poem, I need not to answer that question.
It is also like martial arts! Have you noticed the little word DO in the name of most of Asian martial arts? DO in Aikido, in Tae Kwon Do, in Judo, in Jeet Kune Do and countless other. This little word includes all the meaning of the poem above! It means road, way, path. It is the journey you have to go through to get to your target, to learn the secrets of the martial art.
Ok, you ask, what’s the purpose of this lecture? What this has to do with DJing? How this is going to help me get girls?
It won’t! This is not a technique you can apply to a club or to a bar. This is not a tip. This only tells you to be patient and not quit in frond of the first difficulty. Because is not the result you are looking for. The result will come at last (if you try long enough). It won’t mean much. It is the experience you earn from the process that it counts, that will stay with you as you get older.
I had a discussion with a popular in this forum poster (I don’t know if he agrees mentioning his nickname, so I don’t), and he came with an argument:
"After finally achieving my goal I had craved for so long, I felt like it was a big waste of time! "
I did not agree with that! I said that he is able to judge if the goal worth the effort because he learned and had experiences. If he didn't, then he would not be in a position to decide. He corrected his statement saying that the knowledge he gained worth the time!
Don’t expect to reach your target in a day or two. Don’t rush it. There is not a perfect DJ anyway. You have a long way to go and be happy about it since you have lot to learn. It is the knowledge that is important. Every little detail adds a small piece :
"You live you learn
You love you learn
You cry you learn..."
You get rejected you learn
You get laid you learn
The longer the journey, the biggest is the reward!
-MOb