Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Desiderata...

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with god,
whatever you conceive him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

- Max Ehrmann

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the inspirational message. I love it and hadn't heard it in years. I am so glad you are blogging again. I enjoy your blogs.

Anonymous said...

I love that line, "You are the child of the universe". Someone should make that into a t-shirt or magnet or something.

Anonymous said...

Humph. I posted a comment to you last night but it seems to have disappeared. How I hate when that happens! Feels a lot like shouting into the wind...

As I tried to say previously --

I have a rolled parchment around here somewhere that has the whole Desiderata on it. For some reason, it was wildly popular in the mid-70's, and the first 2 paragraphs (stanza's?) could be found *everywhere* --

It's always been considered a good high school or college graduation gift, although I haven't seen it on graduation cards lately.

Along with Rudyard Kipling's "You'll Be a Man, My Son", of course....teehee.

...pause...

...strive to be happy...

"to devote serious effort or energy" to be(ing) "enjoying or characterized by well-being and contentment"

- Supplied with help from Merriam-Webster's OnLine Dictionary

Apply serious energy to being content????! Definitely not good to pull things apart too much, looks like.

Andrew Thornton said...

I am very much a big fan of this poem and think that it has "very good timing". I haven't heard or read it in a while either, but happened to hear a snippet of it on an English dating show in the background one night that triggered a synapse fire and prompted me to start doing mad Google searches. But like I was saying, I think it's one of those sayings or poems that seems to pop up just when you need it or can relate to it the most. Sure the Desiderata covers a lot of ground, but when I do hear it or see it again, it usually has advice that seems to fit and strike at the heart of a particular circumstance at that given moment.

petrajanssen ♥ goldenfairycottage said...

Fortunate coincidence ... !

A few days ago I got a wonderful message from Loreley ...

Browsing her BLOG I clicked her favorites ... and here I am ... :)

I was sooo happy to find the DESIDERATA poem on your side.
Those were the lines I got before I took my flight to New York ...

Now I'm sitting here with a BIG smile ... thinking about my Au-Pair days in Brooklyn.

WOW --- ... being a part of the universe is definitely a lot of fun,

PEtra

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Petra!

I'm glad that you stopped by my blog. Lorelei is a peach! Welcome! That sounds like quite an adventurous story - like the real life Nanny Diaries or something.

Well, I'm glad that you found inspiration in the Desiderata and that we were able to connect over it. The universe sure is a lot of fun!