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, Desiderata, 1952

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Sprituality Revisited

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.” –Albert Einstein

I have always avoided the subject of spirituality in my blogs until lately. I told myself, why not? There are many things to be told about spirituality regardless of religion or faith.

What I understand: No matter how you want to evade the issues of spirit and faith, and convinced yourself that you are an atheist, an agnostics or a pragmatist, the fact does not change –you are a spiritual being. You will always find in yourself the desire to connect with someone or with something that is higher than you are. The seeking is innate and sometimes uncontrollable. It is always there to nag you that you have to find and trust this higher power and seek your rest from and in it.

I have avoided church for quite some time now but my hunger for spiritual fulfillment continues to disturb me. It begs me to feed it. It forces me to acknowledge my helplessness so that I can begin living with faith again. However, how?

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Are you a mule, a dog, or a monkey?

God created the mule, and told him, "You will be Mule, working constantly from dusk to dawn, carrying heavy loads on your back. You will eat grass and you lack intelligence. You will live for 50 years." The mule answered: "To live like this for 50 years is too much. Please, give me no more than 20." And it was so.

Then God created the dog, and told him, "You will hold vigilance over the dwellings of Man, to whom you will be his greatest companion. You will eat his table scraps and live for 25 years. And the dog responded, "Lord, to live 25 years as a dog is too much. Please, no more than 10 years." And it was so.

God then created the monkey, and told him, "You are Monkey. You shall swing from tree to tree, acting like an idiot. You will be funny, and you shall live for 20 years." And the monkey responded, "Lord, to live 20 years as the clown of the world is too much. Please, Lord, give me no more than 10 years." And it was so.Finally, God created Man and told him, "You are Man, the only rational being that walks the earth. You will use your intelligence to have mastery over the creatures of the world. You will dominate the earth and live for 20 years." And the man responded, "Lord, to be Man for only 20 years is too little. Please, Lord, give me the 30 years the mule refused, the 15 years the dog refused, and the ten years the monkey rejected." And it was so.

So God made Man to live 20 years as a man, then marry and live 30 years like a mule working and carrying heavy loads on his back. Then, he is to have children and live 15 years as a dog, guarding his house and eating the leftovers after they empty the pantry; then, in his old age, to live 10 years as a monkey, acting like a clown to amuse his grandchildren.

(Source: As Shared by Evelyn Hall at www.witandwisdom.org)

__________

When I look back at the last three decades before me, I still wonder how I am going to spend the next three should the Almighty grant me. I have always tried to make my life meaningful each year by making it purposeful in every way and turn, through thick and thin. I must admit, I failed a dozen times in various areas, albeit, I emerged victorious in some, and I have also learned painful lessons in the process.

2009 is here!

As I look back, I realized that I have labored so hard last year, almost 3 times the previous year. Ahh! I worked so damn hard like a mule. I do not want that! I would like to face 2009 with an entirely different approach, and purpose. I will not live another year in hard toils –never. I will make this one the most profitable and purpose-driven year ever. So, help me God.

How about you?

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