This is what my life is all about

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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 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 wrote many poems, although none were well known until after his death. They have been collected into several books including the Desiderata of Happiness, and the Desiderata of Faith. His two most famous poems are Desiderata (1927) and A Prayer (1906). Unfortunately, he was unable to see how his wok began to blossom since the 1960's till date.

Desiderata has been quoted somewhere by someone famous, including in 1972 by Canadian ex-president Trudeau and more recently by actor Morgan Freeman in 2012.

Since its rediscovery, Desiderata has appeared on posters adorning walls over the world, has been quoted in films and by prominent celebrities and is still perhaps the best, and most well-known, inspirational poem of our times.

So here are three sizeable take-away for me, from this motivational piece of work:

Authenticity

No pretension. No posturing. No ego.

My authentic self is the real me that is beyond conditioned beliefs and thinking patterns that I had accumulated throughout my life.

I was once a shy, reclusive, depressed, angry person – but I wasn’t “being myself”. While it is important to love and accept myself, looking back now, I see that I suppressed my true self in order to avoid aspects of myself I couldn’t handle.

I began looking within and questioning my behavior and emotions. I realized how much I was stuck in self-pity and just how much attention I was seeking. I had lost touch with my natural confidence, quirkiness and creativity. I finally let go of my old ways of thinking and gave permission to my real self to come through. It’s liberating, joyful and easy to just be me.

Do or say things because you want to not because of some gain from it. Gain will follow automatically if your inner self is aligned to your outer self.

Nonjudgmental

Maybe those who have suffered the cruelties of others better understand the gifts of kindness and being nonjudgmental.

Can you manage to see the good in everyone? Honestly, I haven’t reached that level of enlightenment, yet. But what I have achieved is not passing a sentence, which assumes that I am superior to someone else and have the right to determine what is good or bad, in general.

You can speak out when you see things that are wrong – not stand in judgment. You can agree to disagree with respect and kindness. After all, we all are flawed.

Honesty

No deception. No doublespeak. What a rare thing in this day and age.

We all tell little white lies from time to time. Usually, benevolent lies to avoid hurting feelings of others. “No honey, your bottom doesn’t look too big in that outfit.”

Imagine though, if we could be more honest. If we could find a way, to tell the truth, gently. Perhaps, in the long run, we’d avoid more misunderstandings and hurt feelings. Maybe we’d get closer to the things that really matter?

John P. Weiss was the inspiration of this article. His tenets about what life should be about is beautifully expressed in the lessons he learnt from Forrest Gump. He says, "I have tried to shape my own behavior and life after these three principles. I have fallen short, but this poem serves as a reliable guidepost; to treat others kindly, accept others for who they are, and be gentle with oneself. What about you? What have you shaped your life after? It’s never too late to craft a better you."

Perhaps this poem will help you discover what life is about. Because, as the poem so eloquently states:

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

May you experience such beauty in your life.