Figure It Out For Yourself (Unabridged)

The following poem speaks by itself.

Figure It Out For Yourself

Figure it out for yourself, my lad;

You have everything the greatest of men have had;
Two legs, two arms, two hands, two eyes,
And a brain to use if you would be wise,
With this equipment the great began,
So start from the top and say, "I can."

Look them over, the wise and the great,
They take their food from a common plate,
They must eat just like you, similar knives and forks they use,
With similar laces they must tie their shoes,
The world considers them brave and smart,
But you have the same equipment they had when they made their start.

You can triumph by developing your skill;
You can be great if you only will.
You are well equipped for whatever side you choose,
You have arms and legs and a brain to use.
There are many that are great that had much less,
And great deeds they did do,
And there are many that did deeds that had no more than you.

You are the handicap you must face;
You are the one who must choose your place.
You must say where you want to go,
How much you must study the truth to know;
GOD has equipped you for life, but He,
lets you decide where you want to be.

Courage must come from the soul within,
Only you can furnish the will to win.
So figure it out for yourself, my lad;
You were born with all the equipment the great men had.
With the same or less equipment the great men began,
So, get hold of yourself and say, "I can."

George M Sistrunk