A Father’s Prayer [ Doa Ayah ]

A Famous poem by a great leader General Douglas McArthur written during a millitary campaign in the Philippines (in 1944) after watching his son asleep. The words are very moving and perfectly describe an Ideal Human being. Truly words of wisdom.                              

 

“A Father’s Prayer “

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak,

and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid;

one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat,

and humble and gentle in victory.

 

Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds;

a son who will know Thee — and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort,

but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge.

Here let him learn to stand up in the storm;

here let him learn compassion for those who fail.

 

Build me a son whose heart will be clear,

whose goal will be high;

a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men;

one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

 

And after all these things are his,

add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor,

so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously.

Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness,

the open mind of true wisdom, and the weakness of true strength.

 

Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, “I have not lived in vain”

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Sebuah puisi terkenal yang ditulis oleh Jenderal Douglas Mac Arthur sewaktu bertugas dalam Perang Dunia II di Philipina (dalam tahun 1944), sesaat sebelum anaknya tertidur. Suatu tulisan yang menggugah dan menginspirasi menjadi manusia yang ideal. Suatu kebijaksanaan nyata.

“ Doa Ayah “

Tuhanku,
Jadikanlah anakku seorang yang cukup kuat mengetahui kekurangan dirinya,
Berani menghadapi manakala ia takut
Bangga dan teguh dalam kekalahan
Tulus serta rendah hati dan penyantun dalam kemenangan

Oh Tuhanku,
Jadikanlah anakku seorang yang tahu akan adanya Engkau
dan mengenal dirinya sendiri sebagai dasar segala pengetahuan

Ya Tuhanku,
Bimbinglah ia bukan di jalan yang gampang dan mudah
Tetapi di jalan yang penuh kesesakan, tantangan dan kesukaran
Ajarilah ia agar sanggup berdiri teguh di tengah badai
Dan belajar mengasihi mereka yang gagal

Ya Tuhanku,
Jadikanlah anakku seorang yang berhati suci dan bercita-cita luhur
Sanggup memerintah dirinya sebelum memimpin orang lain
Meraih masa depan tanpa melupakan masa lalu

Sesudah semuanya membentuk dirinya, aku mohon Ya Tuhanku,
Rahmatilah ia dengan rasa humor sehingga ia dapat serius tak berlebihan,
Berilah kerendahan hati, kesederhanaan dan kesabaran

Jika sudah demikian Tuhanku,
Beranilah aku berkata,”Tak sia-sia aku hidup sebagai ayahnya.”