Poet of the Month Ron Whitehead

July 17, 2024

Ron Whitehead, Lifetime Beat Poet Laureate

NEVER GIVE UP

Never give up
No matter what is going on
Never give up

Develop the heart
Too much energy in the world
is spent developing the mind
instead of the heart
Develop the heart

Be compassionate
Not just with your friends
but with everyone
Be compassionate

Work for peace
in your heart
and in the world
Work for peace

And I say again
Never give up
No matter what is going on around you
Never give up

Ron Whitehead and His Holiness The Dalai Lama.

Backstory: The Birth of “Never Give Up”

In early 1993 I called Lawrence Ferlinghetti, one more time, to invite him to give a reading at the University of Louisville, where I was teaching, as part of my International Reading Series. I had been calling and writing Lawrence for a year. Every time he had said, “No.” When he answered this time he laughed and said, “Ron, you’re never going to give up are you?” I laughed and said, “No.” He said, “Well, if you’ll take me to visit Thomas Merton’s grave I’ll come.” Excitedly, I said, “Done deal.”

In April 1993, Lawrence came to Louisville to visit for a week. He brought his son, Lorenzo. Lawrence gave a standing room only reading at the University of Louisville. We visited the Abbey of Gethsemani, an hour south of Louisville, where Thomas Merton spent the second half of his life. Brother Patrick Hart, gave us the grand tour of the Abbey. On the drive back to Louisville Lawrence said, “Why don’t you bring The Dalai Lama to Kentucky. Bring him to visit Merton’s grave. He still talks about how Merton changed his life.” I looked at Lawrence, laughed then said, “I’ll do it.”

On April 25, 1994 I entered The Mary Anderson Room at The Kentucky Center for The Arts. On his first visit to Kentucky, The Dalai Lama had just given a talk to a packed house. He was now going to give a press conference. I was given a seat on the front row. The room was packed with news media folks, including a few of my friends.

The Dalai Lama arrived with his translator and body guards. He sat ten feet in front of me. The host fielded questions, all of which were the same ones The Dalai Lama has been asked since 1959 when he narrowly escaped from Tibet to India: “Do you think the Chinese will ever allow you to return to Tibet? Do you think the Chinese will ever return Tibet to the Tibetan people?” and on and on. The Dalai Lama yawned and looked at his watch.

My mind had been racing since I walked into the room, realizing that I might have the opportunity to ask The Dalai Lama, who I had worked for a year to bring to Louisville, a question, one question, whatever question I chose. My mind raced, soared. I relaxed, traveled deep into myself, asking my higher self to take over. And it did. The question arrived.

The interview session was drawing to a close. How could I possibly get the host’s attention to call on me. The room was filled with a hundred television, radio, newspaper, magazine people vying for attention. I summoned all the psychic power I could, calling again on my soul to take charge. It did. The host turned to me and said, “Okay, one more question.”

I introduced myself to His Holiness The Dalai Lama. I quickly told him about my work as Director of The Global Literary Renaissance and that New York University had asked me to produce a 48-hour non-stop Music & Poetry INSOMNIACATHON in May to kickoff their week-long 50-year celebration of the Beat Generation and that I was taking a caravan of 150 young people from Kentucky and Colorado’s Naropa University to New York City where they would participate with over 300 performers in this 48-hour non-stop event.

I asked The Dalai Lama, “Will you give me a message to share with young people, young people of all ages?” He looked hard at me then smiled, closed his eyes, opened them, and gave me a longish message. I saw his mouth moving as he spoke. I heard words, words that have, since that moment, been etched in my heart and soul. He stopped speaking. The message was over, as was the media interview session.

The host announced, “Thank all of you for coming today, and we especially thank His Holiness The Dalai Lama.” That was it. The Dalai Lama, his interpreter and bodyguards rose to leave. The media people were packing their gear to follow him, as far as allowed, with more questions. My eyes went to the floor, to my feet. I was stunned, astonished. I didn’t know what to do. I was absorbing, assimilating this experience, this gift I had been given. Suddenly, in front of my feet, I saw a dark reddish color, a glow. I felt a powerful energy of peace and love emanating towards me. Slowly, my eyes rose. Standing right in front of me was His Holiness The Dalai Lama. Was I seeing things? No, it was him, standing there, inches away. I didn’t know what to do. I felt like a little boy. I lifted my right hand to him. He looked deep into my eyes and grasped my hand in both his hands and bowed, blessing me and the message he had given me. Then he let go, turned and departed.

Was it possible? Yes, it had happened. A few news media folks were staring at me. I was staring at myself. Thanks welled up from the deepest recesses of my being. I had been blessed. Tears fell. My life was changed forever. I heard members of the press ask, “Who is that?” I wasn’t sure myself of who I was, but I was certain I had received a most precious gift and in that moment I became determined that for the rest of my life, until I drew my last breath, I would share the words, the “Never Give Up” poem that came to me as I sat and listened to The Dalai Lama’s message, his gift.

It wasn’t until later, when a media friend gave me the recording of the message, that I realized that the words of the poem I heard, that had been delivered to me while The Dalai Lama gave me his message for me to share with young people of all ages, that the words I heard were different from the words he spoke.

I wrote The Dalai Lama in the winter of 1994 and explained everything to him and asked him to bless the message poem and give me permission to publish it and share it with people everywhere. He blessed it and gave me permission to publish it and share it with people everywhere.

The “NEVER GIVE UP” poem has saved my life more than once, and I know from letters from and conversations with folks, of all ages, that it has uplifted, inspired and saved the lives of people around the World. I am eternally grateful for this gift. If I do nothing for the rest of my life but share the “NEVER GIVE UP” poem with people wherever I go, then my life will have been worth it.

The Dalai Lama has the poster framed and displayed in his private office in Dharamsala, India. In 2003 the UN/UNESCO Poetry On The Peaks program selected the poem as it’s global theme and 300 posters were shipped to cities and mountain communities around the World. Since then I donated several thousand posters to monks and nuns and many other folks of all ages all over the world. The poem/poster has been exhibited in museums and libraries, published in NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC and numerous other publications around the World. And, although these days the poem often appears without my name, I am forever grateful.