I have always found Desiderata to be a simple yet wonderful creed for life, in which I can both find and take a degree of comfort & solace irrespective of the days opportunities that may present at any given time.
I try to expose people to it, but I do not try to sell it to them. I believe that if they take a little time to look at it, read it, understand and appreciate it they too will tune in to it and see a basis for equanimity within themselves and those around them. Coupled with loving one another and the appreciation that irrespective of where you may start or end up in this world we are all created equally with a potential to succeed. We largely are then just differentiated by how much we want to succeed, how much we want to co-exist and how much we value one another.
As The Beatles once sang, "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make"
Enjoy life!
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 ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious 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 be humble;
It is a real possession in the changing of 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 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 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 then the trees and the stars;
You have a right to be here.
And whether not it is clear to you,
No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you may conceive him to be,
And whatever your labors and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life
Keep peace with your soul.
With all it's sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.
Be careful. Strive to be happy.
(It has been often debated where exactly Desiderata originated, this is how I understand its evolution)
- found in Old Saint Paul's Church, Baltimore; Dated 1692.
- It was written/transcribed by Max Ehrmann in 1927, and copyrighted in 1948 by his widow, Betty. Through a lawsuit, it has been labeled Public Domain (anyone can use it) since 1975.
- Desiderata was printed in the stone wall of the bell tower of St. Paul's church, It was printed in Latin and therefore was mostly ignored by the people. Max's contribution was that he was the first person to translate the Latin into English and distribute to the congregation there. Max's widow had placed a copyright on the writing to gain a monetary control over its distribution after his death. The lawsuit that was won by the Anglican church was to ensure that it remained in the public domain free to all who cared to read it, as it was intended when Max first translated.
You want peace, comfort & goodwill - hippy style. Just click the link and you'll end up in the Magic Garden, and maybe then you'll get a handle on what it was all about, what drove it and why it was "The Age of Aquarius",
And always remember "I love the Flower Girl, was she reality or just a dream to me…"
J