D E S I D E R A T A by MAX EHRMANN and a poem by Helen Rice

Found these in my folders. Wonder why I saved it =.= Thought of sharing =)



MAX EHRMANN
AMERICAN POET AND DRAMATIST
(1872-1945)

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 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 is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for on the face of all aridity &disenchantment it is 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 imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue & loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the     trees & the stars; you have the 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 you labors & aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery & broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.

There is no thinking person

Who can stand untouched today

And view the world around us

Slowly drifting to decay

Without feeling deep within them

A silent unnamed dread

As they contemplate the future

That lies frighteningly ahead…

And as the Clods of Chaos

Gather in man’s muddled mind

And he searches for answer

He alone can never find,

Let us recognize we’re facing

Problems man has never solved

And with all our daily efforts

Life grows more and more involved,

But our future will seem brighter

And we’ll meet with less resistance

If we call upon the Father

And seek Divine Assistance…

For the spirit can unravel

Many tangled knotted treads

That defy the skill and power

Of  the world’s best hands and heads,

And our plans for growth and progress.

Of which we all have dreamed

Cannot survive materially

Unless our spirits are redeemed… .

For only when the mind of man

Is united with the soul

Can LOVE and PEACE combine to make

Our lives complete and whole

Helen Steiner Rice