desiderata
I think there is almost no equivalent to sitting in silence and observing your thoughts. Meditation is magical. Yet I have realized that external silence rarely translates to internal silence. When the mind is at peace, everything becomes achievable and nothing seems impossible.
A poem that has inspired me for half a decade now — “Desiderata” by Max Ehrmann begins with the line:
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste
It was the peculiar usage of the word “placidly” that first fascinated me. Being placid means being calm — but unlike how we traditionally imagine calmness to be. “Placid” is generally used to denote the surface of a stagnant water body such as a lake or a pond. The ocean is calm and beatific, but never placid as placidity implies stillness, a complete absence of movement. A suspension of thought and action. A paralysis of physical, mental and emotional activity.
There are no waves in a lake. When you toss a pebble into it, there are faint ripples that form on its surface before they dissipate into placidity. The lake gleams. It never dances, it never grooves, it never fights. It simply absorbs everything that challenges it, is a little disturbed temporarily -yes, but then as per norm, returns to its stillness, reveling in the glory of its placidity.
When we face the noise, the confusion, the unkindness, the trauma, the hate, the scurry and unpleasantness of life, do not rage into the night. Do not be the flame that burns until it extinguishes others or dies itself.
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste — on your course steady, unaffected and unbothered by distractions with a silent still mind.
Meditation is simply being 100% present in what you do. Do not cut your attention into a dozen chunks and distribute it among five things at once. Where’s the fun in functioning at one-third of your potential capacity? When you give it your all, you are a force of nature. You are simply unstoppable. Do what you love. Love what you do. Seems really easy but somehow isn’t.
Desiderata
by Max Ehrmann
Go placidly amid the noise and the 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 vexacious 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 there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
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.
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 dark 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 within your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
I first came across this poem as a sixteen year old eleventh grader. Although it was a part of my curriculum, its imprint on me was far beyond the pages of my prescribed reading. A piece of literature written by Ehrmann as a guideline for himself, successively published for its spiritual and aspirational connotations, it spells out golden rules for living in the simplest possible sentences. Life then, is supremely easy.
My favorite line from the poem, although there are many, is “you are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars — you have a right to be here”. You can never be a burden where you are meant to be. Do not doubt yourself. This is your world — make it your oyster.
Writing with a silent mind, yours truly is signing off. Feel free to reach out to me anytime about anything :)
