There’s been a resurgence….again….of a beautiful piece by Max Ehrmann called “Desiderata.” Ehrmann wrote this piece in the late 1920s but never officially published. Sadly, Ehrmann died in 1945, long before one of his most beautiful works was made known. For all its beauty and popularity, he received little recognition for it. Then, in the 1970s it started showing up in meditation guides, devotionals, and many other introspections.
I first encountered Desiderata, which is said to mean “things desired” in Latin, in a college freshman literature class in 1981. It touched me, I think, because I was suddenly on my own and growing up pretty darn fast, juggling college life, and facing all the scary unknowns called my “future” and adulthood. That’s such a funky age, newly adulted. I was at that crossroad where responsibilities and expectations took a pretty hard right turn….I sometimes just want to crawl in a hole until it was over. There was way too much noise and angst clamoring around me. Desiderata brought me a sense of peace and purpose, a calmness in knowing that the craziness around me would never define me if I didn’t allow it. And, that “the universe is unfolding as it should be.”
A copy of Desiderata has been in my planner for the last 35 years! I’ve reprinted it a few times as the ink has worn off the page, or been smudged with a bit of daily java. The one thing that’s never faded is the feeling of everything “as it should be.” That’s been what’s kept me glued together my entire adult life, and helped me find peace. It’s enabled me to see past challenges and know that there is a divine agenda guiding my steps. While some days I’d like to edit that agenda, I know that where I am at that exact moment is exactly where I’m supposed to be…..whether I like it or not.
I encourage you to not just read Desiderata, but learn it, absorb it, immerse yourself in it. And, I wish you peace in your soul.
Desiderata
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.
