Finally, I have once again heard DESIDERATA played on the radio ( at RJFM) . And, man, how it made me fall into utter silence! I was amidst the city noise and chaos (I was in a public vehicle) but I was as if sitting there alone, shielded of serenity. I can hear the hustle and bustle but it remained behind the background leaving me completely untouched. The people around me were in the middle of the city street, and I was in the middle of euphoria listening to a godly created poem. I usually hear it on the radio when I was a kid. Desiderata, recited by a man with a god-like voice. But I never understood it, then. When I reached highschool, that's when it became my favorite that I have absorbed the teeny weeniest bit of its message. But it was somehow forgotten. I may have put it aside when I was accumulating some non-essentials in my life. Now, I have rediscovered Desiderata and I won't ever let it go once more. DESIDERATA (desideratum) which means something desired as necessary. No one knew who wrote it. Others have said that it was authored by a poet Max Ehrmann. But he (Max Ehrmann) said in his book that this document was discovered on a plaque installed at St. Paul's Church in Baltimore and was lost, but again rediscovered. But I say, it came from an unknown force which is God and have used somebody ( maybe Max Ehrmann) as a receptacle so it can reach each and every one of us. A single masterpiece, yet all encompassing. As one writer said, it contains infinity. A dewdrop that contains all the ocean.
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 a 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, Desiderata, Copyright 1952
