Chapter 4: On Children ~ Gibran’s The Prophet with Journaling Prompts
And a woman who held a babe
against her bosom said, Speak to us of
Children.
And he said:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of
Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they
belong not to you.
*****
You may give them your love but not your
thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their
souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of
tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not
even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek
not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with
yesterday.
You are the bows from which your
children as living arrows are sent
forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path
of the infinite, and He bends you with
His might that His arrows may go swift
and far.
Let your bending in the Archer’s hand be
for gladness;
For even as he loves the arrow that
flies, so He loves also the bow that is
stable.
***** *****
~ Chapter 4: “On Children” from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
Spirit Nourished Earth created the image in this post in collaboration with DALL·E 3
Journaling Prompts for Self-Reflection
The House of Tomorrow
“Their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit.” How can you honour and support the unique path of the next generation, even when it is unfamiliar to you?
Love Without Control
“You may give them your love but not your thoughts.” How can you guide others while allowing them the freedom to form their own beliefs?
The Bow and the Arrow
Gibran compares parents to bows and children to arrows. How do you cultivate strength and flexibility to support better and launch those who rely on you?
Becoming Like a Child
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.” What qualities of childhood—wonder, curiosity, or presence—do you wish to reclaim?
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