Clinton Township Newsletter

3 F e b r u a r y 2 0 2 0 D e s i d e r a t a "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. Exer- cise 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. erefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and what- ever 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 cheerful. Strive to be happy." – Max Ehrmann 1927 – Julie Fl�nn Carol Beder's I love famous quotes. I find it comforting to hear the sage words of those who walked this earth before us, with the same struggles that we now face. Whether recent or from hundreds of years ago, it's a reminder that people are always trying to figure out their lives, both internal and external. There are famous people whose quotes I use all the time: Winston Churchill, Mark Twain, Dorothy Parker, not to mention a bit of John Updike, Mae West, Groucho Marx and Mahatma Gandhi. Now wouldn't that be an awesome dinner party? "Desiderata," a prose poem, is one of my favorite group of quotes. (We've run it in its entirety below.) Desiderata is widely known as having been found at Saint Paul's Church of Baltimore, but the date it was written was confused with the date of that church's foundation (1692). I always thought it was a bit too new-age for that time period –"you are a child of the universe" – really? Sure enough, the poem was found to actually have been written in 1927 by Max Ehrmann, a seemingly regular guy who hit the advice-nail on the head. Desiderata is, for me, a sound template, beginning with "Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence." Life today seems much more clamorous than that of generations before, but then again, wouldn't you guess that every previous generation probably felt the same way? "Listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story." A good admonition not to pre-judge people. Until I've learned about a person's background and tried to put myself in their shoes, I can't possibly know what that person is going through, thus won't understand their choices. How often have I thought I had someone thoroughly figured out at our first brief introduction, only to find later, upon getting to know them, that I was flat-out wrong about them? "If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself." As a child I once asked my Dad, "Are we rich?" He answered, "Richer than some, poorer than others." Comparison is a game at which we can never win – there will always be those who are faster, smarter, luckier and more fortunate than us and there will always be those who have far less. Like mice on a treadmill, we sometimes get trapped in the chase, not realizing it's a fruitless quest. "Whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should." I truly want to believe that. "Keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful... Strive to be happy." I will... Thanks Max.

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