Often, the mistakes we make in life bring us down. Mistakes are usually followed by a sense of embarrassment or even shame, but in the poem Thirteen, there seems to be a underlying meaning of learning to embrace your mistakes. The poem begins with the simple line of “Accept disgrace willingly.” This can mean to recognize the mistakes you have made in the past and to take that past disgrace upon your shoulders with honor. The poem also goes on to say “Accept misfortune as the human condition”, a line that tells the reader that we should accept the flaws and mishaps in life as it is part of being human. As a human one of the main things we go through are mistakes, and the reason is to learn so we can become a better person.
The poem ends with “Surrender yourself humbly; then you can be trusted to care for all things. Love the world as your own self; then you can truly care for all things.” In this ending line, the writer is not saying to give yourself up, but rather to be humble and accept your mistakes and flaws as being apart of who you are. It is only when you learn to accept yourself in this world, that you can accept everything else that is apart of it. Loving yourself will help you understand how to love someone else for their good and bad qualities. I found the message in this poem to be very positive as it clearly sends a message to accept yourself as you are.
I found your interpretation of the poem to be very inspiring as I agree with many of the points you made. I agree that often people tend to linger on the past which leads to their mistakes haunting them and as a result their character to change. However if, as you state, they can recognize their mistake and instead of dwelling on it, they accept the shame that comes with it and move on, then they are able to focus on the present and not the past. The same can be said about the mishaps that they go through in life, as just like mistakes, mishaps are a part of living life. I found that after reading this interpretation I was reminded of my own mistakes and thought to myself if I really have accepted them or am simply ignoring them. Thank you for the insight you provided.