Desiderata

Desiderata by Max Ehrman is sublime and full of wisdom. I first came across it many years ago in the office of my then Managing Director, Mr. David Rose (Gujarat Guardian Limited-Modiguard) who kept a beautifully inscribed and framed print of it  on a side cabinet. Here is how it goes:

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 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 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 not let this blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and every where 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 imagining. 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, 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.

I am sure it inspires everybody who reads it. There is a misconception that  'Desiderata' was found in St. Paul's Church in Baltimore, Maryland. Actually it is the work of Max Ehrmann, a poet and lawyer from Terre Haute, Indiana, who lived from 1872 to 1945. Desiderata is Latin for 'Things to be Desired'.

Love
Mohandeep Sandhu
http://www.crcindia.co.in/