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Desiderata


Big John
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Maybe we could all do with reading this and taking some of it on board.

 

desiderata - by max ehrmann

 

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 to 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 perennial as the grass.

 

Take kindly to 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 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 in your soul.

 

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

 

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

 

Feel free to move this but I thought some may not be familiar with this brilliant work and might benefit from it. Not that I myself am perfect of course, but I am as near to it as you are likely to come across in this World. :rolleyes:

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That's really nice actually, is that from one of those old Arena posters?

 

Whatever, it would be nice to think that we could take even a small bit of that on board and maybe become a better person, if not poster.

 

Actually ...I think it originated around 1650-something and was discovered in an old church in the " American Colonies "

a long time before that... fellow George Washington ...started the idea of a Constitution for the rebellious settlers.

 

I think I like this better....

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"Money don't make my world go round,

I'm reaching out to a higher ground."

 

Des'ree

 

prefer this, these lyrics are the work of a genius..

Ooh, I get the shivers

I don't want to see a ghost,

It's a sight that I fear most

I'd rather have a piece of toast

And watch the evening news

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I think you'll find that's an urban myth. It's much more recent. Still makes good reading though.

 

1927 apparently. There's a poster if you like: http://www.zazzle.co.uk/desiderata_poster-228846596101556705

 

If you like this sort of think, you might like also to consider: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_not_stand_at_my_grave_and_weep

 

(I have others)

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Maybe we could all do with reading this and taking some of it on board.

 

desiderata - by max ehrmann

 

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 to 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 perennial as the grass.

 

Take kindly to 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 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 in your soul.

 

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

 

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

 

Feel free to move this but I thought some may not be familiar with this brilliant work and might benefit from it. Not that I myself am perfect of course, but I am as near to it as you are likely to come across in this World. :rolleyes:

 

I for one have never read this before, so thanks Big John for posting it, as it does put things in perspective when read, I will copy this, frame it and put it up on my office wall as a constant reminder.

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  • 1 year later...
Maybe we could all do with reading this and taking some of it on board.

 

desiderata - by max ehrmann

 

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 to 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 perennial as the grass.

 

Take kindly to 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 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 in your soul.

 

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

 

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

 

Feel free to move this but I thought some may not be familiar with this brilliant work and might benefit from it. Not that I myself am perfect of course, but I am as near to it as you are likely to come across in this World. :rolleyes:

 

Definitiely something to strive towards, rather than something entirely attainable.

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That's really nice actually, is that from one of those old Arena posters?

 

Whatever, it would be nice to think that we could take even a small bit of that on board and maybe become a better person, if not poster.

 

 

I had that as a poster on my wall in the 1960's. As memory serves it was written in a church in the American Colonies dated 1625 (or thereabouts ).

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there was a disc of this in about err 1972, my last year at Taunton's. F*cking drove us crazy...Alchemists dream,turning crap into money...shedloads of it.Must have been right up there at the toppish levels of the pop charts.I'm sure you could get a UTube of it if you dug around.

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there was a disc of this in about err 1972, my last year at Taunton's. F*cking drove us crazy...Alchemists dream,turning crap into money...shedloads of it.Must have been right up there at the toppish levels of the pop charts.I'm sure you could get a UTube of it if you dug around.

 

 

Someone mentioned it on FB

 

Les Crane

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I had that as a poster on my wall in the 1960's. As memory serves it was written in a church in the American Colonies dated 1625 (or thereabouts ).

 

I had that as a poster on my wall in the 1960's. As memory serves it was written in a church in the American Colonies dated 1625 (or thereabouts ).

Written about 1920, copyrighted 1927 Max Ehrmann

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desiderata

 

How about this version? http://www.joke-archives.com/poetry/deteriorata.html

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