What is the message and purpose of this poem? "Birth is a beginning, and death a destination, but life is a journey, a going-a growing from stage to stage. From childhood to maturity, and youth to age. From innocence to awareness, and ignorance to knowing; From foolishness to discretion, and then perhaps to wisdom. From weakness to strength, or strength to weakness- And, often, back again. From health to sickness and back, we pray, to health again. From offence to forgiveness, from loneliness to love, from joy to gratitude, from pain to compassion,
and grief to understanding- From fear to faith. From defeat to defeat to defeat- Until, looking backward or ahead, we see that victory lies not at some high place along the way, but in having made the journey, Stage by stage- A sacred pilgrimage. Birth is beginning, and death a destination; But life is a journey, a sacred pilgrimage made stage by stage- from birth to death to life everlasting."