Author Topic: Desiderata  (Read 1062 times)

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Offline Anonymous

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Desiderata
« on: August 21, 2006, 12:54:02 AM »
Go placidly amid the noise and the 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 vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or 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 in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline Anonymous

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Desiderata
« Reply #1 on: August 21, 2006, 05:29:42 AM »
I remember receiving a copy of this when I was a kid, and thinking it was  pretty cool, good advice, and without all the religious overtones of most of the other stuff given to me by the same person who gave me the copy of this.

After Straight, I was in a record store and looking at a bootleg Pink Floyd album.  I took the record out of the sleeve to check its condition and noticed that the Desiderata was printed on the label, running circularly around the label's edge and spiraling inward.

I've always liked this poem, even as an agnostic/atheist/etc., I feel it has real value and meaning, without being an advertisement or recruiting poster for one particular faith or other.  I think it is a good philosohpy of life, a blueprint for putting into one's everyay life some self-evident, yet often overlooked, simple truths about the nature of our experience as humans.  I can't find anything in it that I would disagree with, and much in it that I emphatically believe to be of highest truth.  "I just" wanted to share it with you; I hope you enjoy it.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline Anonymous

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Desiderata
« Reply #2 on: August 21, 2006, 09:52:33 AM »
There was some harDCore band that called themselves "the desiderata"
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »