{"id":225,"date":"2016-03-19T09:25:19","date_gmt":"2016-03-19T16:25:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mslangille\/?p=225"},"modified":"2016-06-08T21:24:07","modified_gmt":"2016-06-09T04:24:07","slug":"desiderata","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mslangille\/desiderata\/","title":{"rendered":"Desiderata"},"content":{"rendered":"

Max Ehrmann\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Desiderata<\/p>\n

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
\nand remember what peace there may be in silence.
\nAs far as possible without surrender
\nbe on good terms with all persons.
\nSpeak your truth quietly and clearly;
\nand listen to others,
\neven the dull and the ignorant;
\nthey too have their story.<\/p>\n

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,<\/span><\/p>\n

they are vexations to the spirit.
\nIf you compare yourself with others,
\nyou may become vain and bitter;
\nfor always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
\nEnjoy your achievements as well as your plans.<\/p>\n

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
\nit is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
\nExercise caution in your business affairs;
\nfor the world is full of trickery.
\nBut let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
\nmany persons strive for high ideals;
\nand everywhere life is full of heroism.<\/p>\n

Be yourself.
\nEspecially, do not feign affection.
\nNeither be cynical about love;
\nfor in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
\nit is as perennial as the grass.<\/p>\n

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
\ngracefully surrendering the things of youth.
\nNurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
\nBut do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
\nMany fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
\nBeyond a wholesome discipline,
\nbe gentle with yourself.<\/p>\n

You are a child of the universe,
\nno less than the trees and the stars;
\nyou have a right to be here.
\nAnd whether or not it is clear to you,
\nno doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.<\/p>\n

Therefore be at peace with God,
\nwhatever you conceive Him to be,
\nand whatever your labors and aspirations,
\nin the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.<\/p>\n

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
\nit is still a beautiful world.
\nBe cheerful.
\nStrive to be happy.<\/p>\n

Max Ehrmann<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Desiderata was written by Max Erhmann in 1927. My mother introduced me to this prose poem when I was about 14 years old and it has shaped much of the way I live my life– it is a mantra of sorts. This poem is a reminder; a positive reminder to be kind, to listen, to love and to live the way I want to live. This poem reflects balance. Balance is something I always have and will strive for in my life. I must balance my life with work, play, loud, quiet, fun, tedious etcetera. This simple poem reminds me to slow down. It reminds me to be confident in my decisions and to trust the universe. It reminds me to cultivate meaningful relationships and to be myself. This poem is reflection of who I am today, but also who I seek to become.<\/em><\/p>\n

Where am I coming from?
\nI have gravitated to this poem multiple times over the last 10 years, usually in moments of uncertainty or despair. It is a comforting reminder of what I am capable of and the kind of person I can be.<\/em><\/p>\n

Where am I now?
\n\u201cWe teach who we are\u201d and as a future educator I find this poem is helpful in grounding me as a person and in turn as a teacher. This poem is positive but also realistic. It is blunt and stern, but comforting and calm– characteristics of a good teacher.<\/em><\/p>\n

Where am I going?
\nThis poem is a reflection of who I am today, but also who I strive to become as a person, educator, and partner.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Max Ehrmann\u00a0 Desiderata 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 the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34622,"featured_media":319,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1508595],"tags":[2381],"class_list":["post-225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-about-hannah-langille","tag-professional-development"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mslangille\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mslangille\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mslangille\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mslangille\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34622"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mslangille\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mslangille\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":329,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mslangille\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225\/revisions\/329"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mslangille\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mslangille\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mslangille\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mslangille\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}