Continued! "Desiderata" A written verse to carry with you!?

Question

Continued! Take kindly the counsel of the years gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture the strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and lonliness.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 concieve Him to be; and whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confussions of life, keep peace with your soul. With all its shams, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. "Be chearful! and Strive to be happy! " written in 1927. by Max Ehrmann.all rights reserved. Reprinted by permission Robert.L.Bell. Melrose, Mass. 02176 U.S.A. Published by Tim Tiley Ltd. "Eblana Lodge" 157, Cheltenham Road,Bristol. BS6 5RR. G.

Answer 1

i like that, the only thing i would change is about God, instead of "whatever you conceive Him to be" i would put "whatever you conceive God to be" as some may conceive a Him , a Her, a Him and Her, or nothing, but considering it was written in 1927, the use of God the way it was did show a progressive attitude

Answer 2

I've always thought it was funny that religious messages always push either activism or passivism.

Christian leaders in the US today push their followers to get active, to vote, to write letters, to speak out, to make their feelings known. They warn that our way of life, America, Christianity, etc. etc. are under attack and people have to fight back before it's all gone.

But the Desiderata is exactly the opposite message. Don't get shook, sit back, relax. God is in control. Just do your job and let others do as they will. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

When I was in college (late 60s/early 70s) the Desiderata was seen everywhere. It was very popular because it's just so downright -comforting-. The people who hung it on their walls and sent it to 'Letters to the Editor', I wonder if they even really understood it. In those days the poster of the Desiderata you saw on everyone's dorm room wall said at the bottom that it had been found in a church from the 17th century.

In the '60s, as again today, a great evil was at large in the US. And as we were all warned early-on by the founders of our country, all that is necessary for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing! The message of the Desiderata is exactly that--'Do nothing!'