Desiderata

Today's dictionary.com word-of-the-day is desideratum - something desired or considered necessary.

When I saw the subject line, my brain's knee-jerk reaction was to chant "go placidly amid the noise and haste..." Why? At the beginning of our sixth grade year, our teacher made us memorize the poem Desiderata, by Max Ehrmann.

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.

As a gangly sixth grader, I know I didn't appreciate the words I was mindlessly cramming into my brain for memorization's sake. (I also don't remember it being so long!) It's a little earthy-crunchy-peace-love-and-granola and a lot Life's-Little Instruction-Book (or commencement address), but there is value in its stanzas.

In our noisy world, where everything screams for attention, there is much peace to be found in silence. It's a lesson often learned through experience.

If you compare yourself with others, you will become vain and bitter.

I like the passage about love. I have much to write on the subject of love, and I keep putting it off.

True - many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. How many fears center on loneliness? How many of them evaporate when loneliness abates? Few things seem as scary in the morning as they do before rest.

The universe is unfolding as it should, yes, and I think many of our frustrations arise when we forget we are living in tomorrow's history and it will all make sense one day. Perspective changes much.

Well, it's not a fantastically brilliant poem, but it was fun to reflect on it again after 10 15 so many years.