What Max Ehrmann taught me

"Desiderata" has been a guiding light for me for many years. The times I've fumbled in the dark have been when shunning its light.

What truths I know
are neither quiet
nor clear.
I listen to
the dull and ignorant
when I too
tell my story.
Vain and bitter, yes;
for I have
a lifetime of
comparisons.
Late in life
my body calls me
to wholesome discipline
and gentility.
The universe unfolds
with and without
the full consent
of this particular child.
Peace with Spirit
will keep peace
with my soul.
In spite of
and because of
my best efforts...
it is still
a beautiful world.
I can choose
to be cheerful
and careful.
Strive to be
human;
happiness follows.

Reviews

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~ i'm overwhelmed and moved... happy too... indeed, "it still is a beautiful world"... just a few weeks ago, i realized that evolution is a given... and those who test it and contest it are missing the point... ~ the world can be even more beautiful if we stop injecting bitterness into it... i know i have done it and i regret it all very deeply... ~ we keep missing the point about happiness... am so glad you wrote this piece and shared it with us... ~ i believe that for all the bitter words in the universe, if we write and share a happy one, then the effect of bitterness gets neutralized... and the day the number of happy words surpass the number of bitter words, the world will be a happier place... ~ every word we write counts... ~ thank you for this post, monsieur jewel...