Many moons ago, my kindred spirit friend in high school gifted me a book of poetry with this poem. I think it was called, "Desiderata of Happiness." We were old souls.
"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.”
This is what hit me the most, as it sums up the challenges my family and I have faced and how easy it is to succumb to the noise and chaos, to forget that there is still beauty and love surrounding us. I often have to work very hard to remain cheerful, and sometimes I'm not sure I remember what it is to feel completely happy. It's in those moments that I pull away from the chaos and think of the blessings in my life or I search out moments of awe and wonder to soothe my soul. I also tap into memories of my mother, who suffered so much during her life, but always had a smile on her face. She always found time to laugh, to love, to enjoy what was good in her life. We have so little time on this planet, and the reminder to strive to be happy is something that I needed to hear.
Great poem! In a church sermon, the minister spoke about "Shalom" which in casual usage means peace. However, there's a deeper meaning - peace with God, peace with God's creation, the natural world (the general revelation) and peace with your fellow man. Being at peace with your fellow man includes being at peace with yourself. What I see in this poem is the idea of shalom and that's brilliant...
What I also see in the poem is my own mortality. It took me 57 years to experience shalom in completeness. I'm 63 now and things are more difficult. People with Mental illness as I have don't have longevity on their side and this based on 120 years of medical stats. This is a difficult truth. Time. So much time, where I was too messed up to experience shalom and be alive in the world, to dream dreams and follow them... The lesson I learned is don't ever give up on someone or yourself.
However, do I really have a right to be here?? I have very bad things in my life, things that happened to me (very intentionally) when I was 4 years old and I live with the consequences to this very day. And the intended message is you don't have a right to be alive in the world and are not to be alive in the world as that's what other people do... Based on life experience I can't say I comprehend that line in the poem... It's completely foreign to me, it really is. Something I'll never experience...
These words spoke to me as my truth has been hard to find, and more so to speak , often propelling me into the conflicting states of surrendering myself and keeping on ‘good terms’ with people, or choosing myself and allowing those ‘good terms’ to dissolve.
Thank you for sharing the Desiderata poem Susan. I’ve read it several times this morning, and the more I read it, the more profound it feels- each line resonating in a new way.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Thank you for posting the Desiderata poem❣️. I have loved this since I was a teenager. I remember the song came first for me and then I bought the poster in 1980. There are a couple lines that are very special to me. "As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons." I imagine that line was very formative for me. That line may have helped me appreciate all people and shun gossip. It became a philosophy for me. The other line that resonates is, "If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself." I think this may have helped me appreciate my worth among a sea of people. The encouragement not to compare myself to others may have been reinforcement of parental teachings not to be jealous of others something which today, at 61, I still try to abide by. I deeply appreciated reading the poem and comments. Thank you❣️
No matter how it works out or don't work out Strive to be kind to one another, maybe dreams you never thought of will bloom out of that kindness you put out into the world and to yourself. Beautiful Poem, Wanderer
This line stands out these days, as something I struggle with: "If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself…"
This is a wonderful poem! The entire poem speaks to me. It’s so relevant and meaningful during the times we are living in. I felt peaceful after reading it.
"Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence."
The opening line of this piece invites the pause. It always stills me.
A copy of this hung on my door next to Kahlil Gibran's "Your children are not your children..." for the entire time I lived in my mother's house, with my son. That took me right back to my old home. I bet I still have that copy somewhere. Someone gave it to me when I was in recovery.
***After reading some of the comments, I was reminded of an experience I had recently, which involves aging. I am approaching 65. I pulled into a 711 one afternoon. There were 2 young ladies with motor bikes. One was blonde, heavily tattooed, beautiful, wearing black pants and a lace bralette. The other, brunette, all I really noticed was her helmet, which she was holding. It had little devil horns. I was flooded with envy and insecurity. I went in, used the ATM, and quickly left, trying not to look.
I got to the laundromat, and while I was waiting for my wash to finish, I thumbed through a book of poetry I'd picked up recently in Easton. "Locally Made Panties" by Arielle Greenberg. It consists of mostly prose pieces wherein she muses about aging bodies, post-pregnancy bodies, and fashion. Greenberg was in her 30s at the time she wrote these pieces, but they really resonated.
I was feeling old and lumpy and invisible, but I was that girl, once upon a time (without my own motorcycle). I was mourning my lost youth, my wild and crazy self who never cared about the future. But I realized I needn't be envious. I wished i had gotten past that feeling quicker and given the girls props, but mostly, I wished I had told them to be careful and stay safe, but to enjoy being themselves.
I first encountered this poem at 17 when I left home for university. I found it on a poster which I promptly purchased and went back to hang it on the wall of my dorm room. I read it a million times as I fumbled my way through a new world. Through many ages and stages of life it has offered me the three gifts of grace, hope, and solace. From starting a career to marriage and babies, from divorce to traumatic grief, I have always wrapped it's words around me, comforted by this trusted friend.
My favourite stanza is missing from your original post:
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.
I have wrestled with these five lines as I walk through midlife alone. Gracefully surrendering the things of youth has for me, meant surrendering romantic love. I have found an abundance of love with friends, family and pets. I am at peace with my unconventional life.
Thank you for sharing so openly, Dana. I'm curious - do you feel that midlife means surrendering romantic love because it's harder for women to find partners later in life, or because that kind of love is less interesting to you than it once was (compared with friends, family, pets)?
An interesting question Susan. My need for a Prince Charming has diminished and in it's place, my desire for an intellectual and soulful companion grows. I just happen to find that more readily available in family and friends. I prefer to be understood over desired. I had my fill of lustful encounters in my younger years and cherish those memories. Of late, I've been seduced by my own company.
Totally agree, last weekend’s letter struck a cord, impressive to read so many further honest replies, I normally don’t have / take to time read so many, but last Saturday, I very much appreciated any single line I read, felt connected to this community and am grateful to be here.
There’s indeed so many aspects in the poem, one was our right to be here, the other ‘whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should’ - this is hard in today’s word, war and climate crisis - maybe, it’s one way to cope?
I can be really hard on myself, so: "...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."
Many moons ago, my kindred spirit friend in high school gifted me a book of poetry with this poem. I think it was called, "Desiderata of Happiness." We were old souls.
"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.”
This is what hit me the most, as it sums up the challenges my family and I have faced and how easy it is to succumb to the noise and chaos, to forget that there is still beauty and love surrounding us. I often have to work very hard to remain cheerful, and sometimes I'm not sure I remember what it is to feel completely happy. It's in those moments that I pull away from the chaos and think of the blessings in my life or I search out moments of awe and wonder to soothe my soul. I also tap into memories of my mother, who suffered so much during her life, but always had a smile on her face. She always found time to laugh, to love, to enjoy what was good in her life. We have so little time on this planet, and the reminder to strive to be happy is something that I needed to hear.
Great poem! In a church sermon, the minister spoke about "Shalom" which in casual usage means peace. However, there's a deeper meaning - peace with God, peace with God's creation, the natural world (the general revelation) and peace with your fellow man. Being at peace with your fellow man includes being at peace with yourself. What I see in this poem is the idea of shalom and that's brilliant...
What I also see in the poem is my own mortality. It took me 57 years to experience shalom in completeness. I'm 63 now and things are more difficult. People with Mental illness as I have don't have longevity on their side and this based on 120 years of medical stats. This is a difficult truth. Time. So much time, where I was too messed up to experience shalom and be alive in the world, to dream dreams and follow them... The lesson I learned is don't ever give up on someone or yourself.
However, do I really have a right to be here?? I have very bad things in my life, things that happened to me (very intentionally) when I was 4 years old and I live with the consequences to this very day. And the intended message is you don't have a right to be alive in the world and are not to be alive in the world as that's what other people do... Based on life experience I can't say I comprehend that line in the poem... It's completely foreign to me, it really is. Something I'll never experience...
These words spoke to me as my truth has been hard to find, and more so to speak , often propelling me into the conflicting states of surrendering myself and keeping on ‘good terms’ with people, or choosing myself and allowing those ‘good terms’ to dissolve.
Thank you for sharing the Desiderata poem Susan. I’ve read it several times this morning, and the more I read it, the more profound it feels- each line resonating in a new way.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly
Thank you for posting the Desiderata poem❣️. I have loved this since I was a teenager. I remember the song came first for me and then I bought the poster in 1980. There are a couple lines that are very special to me. "As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons." I imagine that line was very formative for me. That line may have helped me appreciate all people and shun gossip. It became a philosophy for me. The other line that resonates is, "If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself." I think this may have helped me appreciate my worth among a sea of people. The encouragement not to compare myself to others may have been reinforcement of parental teachings not to be jealous of others something which today, at 61, I still try to abide by. I deeply appreciated reading the poem and comments. Thank you❣️
No matter how it works out or don't work out Strive to be kind to one another, maybe dreams you never thought of will bloom out of that kindness you put out into the world and to yourself. Beautiful Poem, Wanderer
This line stands out these days, as something I struggle with: "If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself…"
This is a wonderful poem! The entire poem speaks to me. It’s so relevant and meaningful during the times we are living in. I felt peaceful after reading it.
Oh Susan this is one of my all time favourite poems and over the course of time as I read it again …I instantly feel peace in my heart 😌
Different parts stand out to me depending on what’s happening in my life today it’s these words…
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story ♥️🙏🏽
I came across this poem many years ago when I was in sixth grade and have loved it ever since. 😊
"Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence."
The opening line of this piece invites the pause. It always stills me.
A copy of this hung on my door next to Kahlil Gibran's "Your children are not your children..." for the entire time I lived in my mother's house, with my son. That took me right back to my old home. I bet I still have that copy somewhere. Someone gave it to me when I was in recovery.
***After reading some of the comments, I was reminded of an experience I had recently, which involves aging. I am approaching 65. I pulled into a 711 one afternoon. There were 2 young ladies with motor bikes. One was blonde, heavily tattooed, beautiful, wearing black pants and a lace bralette. The other, brunette, all I really noticed was her helmet, which she was holding. It had little devil horns. I was flooded with envy and insecurity. I went in, used the ATM, and quickly left, trying not to look.
I got to the laundromat, and while I was waiting for my wash to finish, I thumbed through a book of poetry I'd picked up recently in Easton. "Locally Made Panties" by Arielle Greenberg. It consists of mostly prose pieces wherein she muses about aging bodies, post-pregnancy bodies, and fashion. Greenberg was in her 30s at the time she wrote these pieces, but they really resonated.
I was feeling old and lumpy and invisible, but I was that girl, once upon a time (without my own motorcycle). I was mourning my lost youth, my wild and crazy self who never cared about the future. But I realized I needn't be envious. I wished i had gotten past that feeling quicker and given the girls props, but mostly, I wished I had told them to be careful and stay safe, but to enjoy being themselves.
I love, love, love this story, Katherine - I've been there (and btw I live by that Gibran poem too).
I first encountered this poem at 17 when I left home for university. I found it on a poster which I promptly purchased and went back to hang it on the wall of my dorm room. I read it a million times as I fumbled my way through a new world. Through many ages and stages of life it has offered me the three gifts of grace, hope, and solace. From starting a career to marriage and babies, from divorce to traumatic grief, I have always wrapped it's words around me, comforted by this trusted friend.
My favourite stanza is missing from your original post:
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.
I have wrestled with these five lines as I walk through midlife alone. Gracefully surrendering the things of youth has for me, meant surrendering romantic love. I have found an abundance of love with friends, family and pets. I am at peace with my unconventional life.
Thank you for sharing so openly, Dana. I'm curious - do you feel that midlife means surrendering romantic love because it's harder for women to find partners later in life, or because that kind of love is less interesting to you than it once was (compared with friends, family, pets)?
An interesting question Susan. My need for a Prince Charming has diminished and in it's place, my desire for an intellectual and soulful companion grows. I just happen to find that more readily available in family and friends. I prefer to be understood over desired. I had my fill of lustful encounters in my younger years and cherish those memories. Of late, I've been seduced by my own company.
Who knows what the next stage will bring?
Totally agree, last weekend’s letter struck a cord, impressive to read so many further honest replies, I normally don’t have / take to time read so many, but last Saturday, I very much appreciated any single line I read, felt connected to this community and am grateful to be here.
There’s indeed so many aspects in the poem, one was our right to be here, the other ‘whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should’ - this is hard in today’s word, war and climate crisis - maybe, it’s one way to cope?
I think about this too, Reg, and am not sure where I come out on it.
"Take kindly the counsel of the years." It is a challenge getting used to an aging self. Just retired...
I can be really hard on myself, so: "...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."