May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
May you stay forever young.
- Bob Dylan, “Forever Young”
This song is one of my favorite songs of all time. I think Bob Dylan is presenting his listeners with a great message by telling them to stay forever young. He does not necessarily mean that we need to, or even can, stay young forever, but rather, that we must live life as if we were young and full of dreams and opportunities. He talks (sings) about the importance of “do[ing] for others” and “let[ting] others do for you”. I think this is an important message and one that is so often forgotten. Oftentimes, we get caught up in ourselves and forget to think about others. Other times, we work so hard to help other people that we either are too proud to receive their help in return, or we are too busy or preoccupied to realize that we are not invincible and need help from others. Therefore, I think this serves as an excellent reminder. He also says we must “build a ladder to the stars and climb on every rung”. This is an excellent metaphor for working for our dreams, and can be extended to the time my classmates and I are currently going through. As we prepare to enter college and start a new time in our lives, we will be opened to opportunities and experiences we never knew existed, and I think that it is in this time in which it is the most important that we aim high for our dreams, and always continue living as if we were “forever young”.
