Desiderata: A Simple Humble Way of Life

“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 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 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 critical 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 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 careful. Strive to be happy.

Life has felt stormy and loud and aggressive at times of late, both internally and externally. I found myself needing to seek, solace and peace. To find quietness, to be still. I know I am not alone in this, as I have walked and listened and shared with other folk. I have also gone into deeper places of silence, both shared and alone, well apart from Molly. I have been confronted by and revisited some old ghosts too. Seen some of the aspects of myself that I have always struggled with. I am what you might call a “Highly Sensitive Person” for good or for bad. It is who I am and one thing life has taught me is that it is vital that we come to terms with who we are wholly. It will help us understand others and come to terms with who they are too.

We cannot avoid some of the storms of life, but we can find ways to come through them, sometimes alone and at other times together. Often when we come to the other side of the rainbow we find that we are back home but somehow better prepared for whatever the journey might hold. I have felt that powerfully these last few days. The key for each person, I believe, is to find that stillness deep down within each of us, that will sustain us and enable us to be of good use to one another and better accompany each other through the storms of life. Not perfectly of course, for sometimes it is too much for us all. It is important to always remember that.

We don’t need any special power to do so, just the ordinary human kind will do, but we do need to be prepared and this is where spiritual practices comes in. A calm mind and a still heart are the key. It is said that Gandhi loved storms. He began life as a timid child, but he learned to keep his mind so steady that he could face tremendous crises with courage, compassion, wisdom, and even a sense of humour. A sense of humour is vital in helping us through such storms, remember to be in good humour originally meant to be in good health. I have found that again these last few days away with collegues, whilst conducting serious ministry business. We have the capacity to deal with whatever challenges life throws at us, but we do need a calm mind and still heart to draw on the resources deep within us and all around us. I would say in everything. We also need to accompany one another, to encourage each other when it feels too much.

When I consider Jesus’ attempts to teach his disciples I often think that this is where his frustrations came from. I know that this is perhaps an unorthodox view, but I think that this is what he was trying to teach those that followed him, to find that power, that still small voice within. It is certainly something he did as he took time alone, to commune with God. I see this in the extract we heard earlier “The Calming of the Storm”. When he rebukes with “Have you know faith” he is doing so because he knows that they can calm the storm themselves, they just do not have the faith in themselves to do so. He shows them the way. They had after all come through such storms before, this was very common on the Sea of Galilee, where storms would rise up from nowhere. Unfortunately, though they just become enthralled in his ability to calm the sea, rather that having enough faith to come through it themselves. Not alone, but together.

I wonder what holds you, sustains through the storms of life, both internal and external.

I have recently been reading “Desiderata” again. It is something I have come across at different times in my life. I have seen it on people’s walls and always stopped and paused and read. I was given a copy a dozen or so years ago and I find myself going back to it from time to time. It seems to be a beautiful and simple way of living, a design for life.

“Desiderata” is about finding peace of mind in the storms of life. We cannot stop the storms, they are as much a part of life as the sunshine. We may not recognise the storms as being the same. What seems like Heaven to one person may appear as Hell to another. One thing I have learnt and continue to learn is that although we are born of the same flesh and have the same spirit within us, we human beings are a diverse lot. We take in life so differently. I only need observe my brother, to understand this. We are so very different. We are a mass of contradictions too. To badly paraphrase Whitman “Do I contradict myself, very well then I contradict myself, I contain multitudes”. It is important to remember that about ourselves and one another, to understand as the Gospels teach that, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”. That we all have a variety and complex ways of responding to life and to one another. To truly understand this is to become spiritually aware. We are a ball of contradictions and we all possess these contradictions within us all. Our world is large and it contains multitudes and yes we all contradict ourselves. We have to look and listen to these contradictions both within ourselves and each other. We need to look and listen, but not with narrow eyes or hearts or ears closed to the world, no we need to be wide and open. Can we look at the world and see it in each others eyes, those windows of the soul? It is not always easy. I know that there are times when my eyes narrow.

So, I have been revisiting “Desiderata”. It begins with those beautiful words “Go placidly amid the noise and haste” please note it says placidly not passively. In my experience there is nothing passive about living spiritually alive. The spiritual life is an active life. We are not merely observers here, we are active participants and life demands that we play our roles, while not becoming the director and attempt to control the roles that others are here to play too.

“Desiderata” was written a hundred years ago by Max Ehrmann. It was copyrighted in 1927 but was first penned several years previous to this. It has spoken to generations since then. It has developed its own life it would seem, including a myth that attempts to make it timeless, it does have that quality about it. The myth began following a reproduction of it by Rev Frederick Kates for a collection of inspirational works for his congregation in 1959 on church notepaper, headed: 'The Old St Paul's Church, Baltimore, AD 1692' (the year the church was founded). Copies of it were circulated and the myth began to grow. It really took off when a copy was found at the bedside of deceased American politician Aidlai Stevenson in 1965.

I like the myth, it does lend a timeless and universal quality that makes the myth into a true mythos. “Desiderata” is a beautiful and practical poem and in my eyes a wonderful design for living spiritually alive. One that I try to follow, despite the storms of life. It enables me to do what I can. To truly live faithfully and to rest and allow life to be what it can be, while I play my role, the best I can. Whilst accepting my multitude of contradictions and the legion of them throughout the world.

“Desiderata” means something that is desired, something wanted and needed. In the poem what is described is this need to find peace, search for inner peace in an often chaotic world. So, to travel peacefully through the noise, chaos, haste of the world and those around us. It is not about shying away from life, but to do so amongst all that is happening and to remain of use by being who you are, despite your legion of contradictions. The key is to take with you your inner integrity and peace. Call it peace of mind, or call it faith, or freedom from existential angst. By the way no one ever lives like this all the time, well no one I have ever known. To be human is to be aware of our multitude of ways of being in the world.

The key I keep re-learning is to find silence and stillness, to make time and space for it in our lives. This is why it is at the heart of every religious tradition. It is at the heart of religion, of communal spirituality, whether at home alone or coming together in love. The key is to find what works for each of us. For me it is walking or has been at times, but also just simply sitting in silence, without distraction, sometimes with others and at other times alone. My heart needs it, it always had. It is something I have sought out all my life, from my earliest memories. I would often go and wander off alone. It was a time I felt most safe. When I could walk placidly amid the noise and haste.

Another thing I love about “Desiderata” is the very practical advice it offers, you might say much of it is commonsense, suggesting ways to live that will nurture inner peace. Like being on good terms with people; not comparing ourselves to others; taking time to honestly say what is on our mind and doing so quietly and clearly. These seem like good habits to cultivate a decent way of living in the this sometimes stormy world. You see by making the effort to speak truth quietly and clearly, we are in fact choosing peace for ourselves and others and refusing to get caught up the violence and extremism. When we listen to others, to hear their truth we are respecting them as they are, recognising their inherent worth and dignity, we are choosing peace, we are walking placidly with them.

Of course this is not easy, especially in our complex world and in our lives that are full of so many contradictions. Sometime seeking resolution seems too much, sometimes we get caught up in comparing ourselves. Sometimes it seems all too much and we get weary, as I have been recently.

“Desiderata” offers a path for gently building a better way. It says: do not feign affection; be yourself; accept the changes which come with aging, – “gracefully surrendering the things of youth”; nurture strength of spirit to shield you in times of misfortune.

“Desiderata” is about knowing ourselves, our many multitudes of contradictions and the legions of them in the world. It is about growing to trust what is at the heart of us one day at a time, gradually building upon this, strengthening that inner core so that whatever sudden misfortune happens, you can hope of keeping “peace with your soul.”

Of course, no will be able to always go placidly amidst the noise and haste of life, not all the time. There will be days when we just want the world to go away. I have those days, had them again recently. Remember we are legion, we all contain multitudes of contradictions, as does the world. “Desiderata though offers something to help us keep on going through the storms both external and internal. “Desiderata” to me is to long for that love, that peace Divine. Living by “Desiderata” is one path that can lead us there. I have certainly found it a great solace once again in recent weeks.

“Desiderata” encourages us to live fulfilling and meaningful lives. “Desiderata” offers advice on how to do so by reminding us to be kind and compassionate towards others, be true to ourselves, strive for inner peace, and appreciate the beauty of the world around us. It reminds us to: “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.”

“Desiderata” is about finding that love, that surely we all truly desire, within life and within ourselves, despite life's challenges and uncertainties. It encourages us to seek the good in ourselves and others and to appreciate what we have in our lives. To love what we have. It reminds us that we are all born from the same spirit and the same flesh, despite our seeming differences, it is our multitude of contradictions that remind me of that.

“Desiderata” reminds me that we are all connected, children of the universe, children of this world, children of God and that we should treat one another, including ourselves with the same respect, with kindness and loving dignity.

May we all go placidly amidst the noise and haste.

Please find below a video devotion based on the material in this "blogspot"

Go placidly, not passively, amidst the storm

“A man seeks employment on a farm. He hands his letter of recommendation to his new employer. It reads simply, `He sleeps in a storm.’

The owner is desperate for help, so he hires the man.

Several week pass, and suddenly, in the middle of the night, a powerful storm rips through the valley.

Awakened by the swirling rain and howling wind, the owner leaps out of bed. He calls for his new hired hand, but the man is sleeping soundly.

So he dashes off to the barn. He sees, to his amazement, that the animals are secure with plenty of feed. He runs out to the field. He sees the bales of wheat have been bound and are wrapped in tarpaulins. He races to the silo. The doors are latched, and the grain is dry.

And then he understands.

`He sleeps in a storm.’

My friends, if we tend to the things that are important in life, if we are right with those we love and behave in line with our [beliefs], our lives will not be cursed with the aching throb of unfulfilled business. Our words will always be sincere, our embraces will be tight. We will never wallow in the agony of `I could have, I should have.’ We can sleep in a storm.

And when it’s time, our good-byes will be complete.”

I love this extract taken from Have a Little Faith” by Mitch Albom. A book set over an 8 year period exploring the lives of two extraordinary men. One is the authors childhood Rabbi Albert Lewis and the other is a former drug addict criminal Henry Covington who spends his time serving a community of homeless people and addicts in a run down former town church. “He sleeps in a storm” is an extract from a sermon delivered by the Rabbi

Now generally I am much like the man in the story. I sleep well and deeply. This hasn’t always been the case I used to suffer terribly from insomnia. I suspect that this is because so much of my mind was chaotic and certainly I didn’t tend to the things I needed to in my inner or outer life. Like so many of my generation, I lived a meaningless and unfulfilled life. Deep down inside I knew this, my mind never rested and as a result, I did not sleep.

Thankfully this is no longer the case. I tend to what needs to be tended to and as a result I am able to rest when it is time to rest and give myself fully to what life asks of me when I am awake. I am able to do my work calmly, without becoming overwhelmed by it. As a result, despite the many challenges, my life is rich with meaning and fully of life. As I often I like to say I live a wonderfulfilling life.

That said over the last couple of weeks I have suffered once again from insomnia. This has been due to an ear problem which has now thankfully been resolved. It did remind me though of those old days. This brought both gratitude and empathy to my heart and mind. Gratitude that I know peace, even in the storms of life as well as empathy for those who suffer from restlessness at night. For as I know it can feel like a living hell.

It is so easy to be overwhelmed by life’s troubles and become paralysed by the fear of what might be. This can lead to the opposite extreme of indifference to life and a rejection of it all. This is no way to live. We can live in the world, recognising all that is life, without being utterly consumed by all that is wrong. We are not powerless, in the face of the storms present in life, but then again neither can we control it all. We cannot do everything, but we can play our part in the drama of life. We can live our lives in the storm of it all, without getting destroyed by the whirlwind as it blows and we can rest when it is time to do so.

This brings to mind some wisdom I discovered while reading Forrest Church’s masterpiece “Love and Death: My Journey Through the Valley of the Shadow”, written while he was dying of oesophageal cancer. He asked knowing that we will die, what should we do? To which he answered we should live, we should laugh, and we should love. He then recalled a lesson he learnt from his children, about living. One day, when they were young, he was walking them to school, on a busy New York street. Suddenly a car swerved round a corner and almost killed them all. Forrest was incensed by this, but he remembers, "my kids just laughed, romping blithely down the sidewalk, jumping from tree to tree as they always did, trying to touch the leaves." The kids were celebrating, nay singing the joy of living, and they "had the right idea. Why didn't I think to jump and touch the leaves?"

Forrest believed that it was living, loving and laughing that took real courage, they required heart, while dying didn’t really take much courage at all, in his eyes that just came naturally.

Now to really live Forrest suggested a simple little mantra:" Want what you have. Do what you can. Be who you are." He didn’t suggest that this would be easy but it is the only way to live and in so doing we will live in such a way that our lives will prove worth dying for by the love we leave behind.

“Be Who You Are” means to live authentically, to live by your own truth, to follow your heart’s desire, this takes real courage.

“Do What You Can” means doing what you are able to do in the world you find yourself. To play your role in life, remembering there are no small parts only small players. Don’t try and be the director and control everything and everyone else, you can’t control the wind, but you can play your part and do the best you can.

“Want What You Have” is really about wanting all that is your life right here right now, not fleeing from anything or wishing your life away. It’s about not dwelling and counting the many blessings that are present right here, right now. It’s about thoughtful wishing not wishful thinking.

Now this all brings me to the following beautiful piece of wisdom "The Desiderata". Simple spiritual and practical design for living...

“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 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 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 critical 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 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 careful. Strive to be happy.

© Max Ehrmann 1927

“The Desiderata”, begins with these beautiful words “Go placidly amongst the noise and haste” please note it says placidly not passively…In my experience there is nothing passive about living spiritually. The spiritual life is an active life. We are not merely observers here, we are active participants and life demands that we play our roles, while not becoming the director and attempting to control the roles that others are here to play. It is wanting what you have, doing what you can and being who you are in verse form.

The Desiderata has been around for a hundred years now. It first came into my consciousness about 20 years ago and it has been beautifully haunting me ever since. It kept on reappearing, even in my darkest and most secular days. Even when I thought such things were nonsense it has kept on knocking on the window of my soul. I was given a framed copy of it recently by someone I had been doing what I can to help, as a token of their appreciation. It now sits proudly on the desk in my vestry.

The “Desiderata” was written a hundred years ago by Max Ehrmann. It was copyrighted in 1927 but was first penned several years previous to this. It has spoken to several generations since then. It has developed its own life it would seem, including a myth that attempts to make it timeless, it does appear to have that quality about it. The myth began following a reproduction of it by Rev Frederick Kates for a collection of inspirational works for his congregation in 1959 on church notepaper, headed: 'The Old St Paul's Church, Baltimore, AD 1692' (the year the church was founded). Copies of it were circulated and the myth began to grow. It really took off when a copy was found at the bedside of deceased Democratic politician Aidlai Stevenson in 1965.

I like the myth, it does lend a timeless and universal quality that makes the myth into a true mythos. “Desiderata” is a beautiful and practical poem and a wonderful design for spiritual living in my eyes. One that I try to follow, despite the storms of life. It enables me to do what I can. To truly live faithfully and to rest and allow life to be what it can be, while I play my role, the best I can.

We can all go placidly amongst the noise and haste, we can live and we can rest when the storms of life really blow. We can give ourselves fully to the life we have been given. We can want we have, do what we can and be who we are. We can all live in such a way that our lives will prove worth dying for by the love we leave behind and when our time comes we can once more step into the great mystery and the final eternal sleep.