Somthing about perseverence

Here's a quotation that was probably not meant to be a poem but works as one nevertheless:

Never Give Up
by Tenzin Gyatso

Never give up
No matter what is going on
Never give up
Develop the heart
Too much energy in your country is spent
developing the mind instead of the heart
Develop the heart,
Be compassionate
Not just to your friends but to 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 happening
No matter what is going on around you
Never give up.

Tenzin Gyatso is, of course, the 14th Dalai Lama.

I don't think he means that we should cling to something that is not working or that we ought never to extricate ourselves from a situation that is clearly unhealthy. I think he is saying that we must never give up on using whatever happens in our lives as material -- both for our own spiritual growth and also for the sake of cultivating compassion, lovingkindness and empathy.