Don't Miss The Real Message

I had been kinda debating for a while as to how exactly to say this without sounding like a kangaroo jack, and initially just wrote it off. But the topic keeps jumping back in my brain.

Coming through life, we have all heard more than our fair share of motivational (or otherwise) phrases and sayings. Most have good intentions and good messages, but every know and again, I run across someone doing something quite foolish, and quoting a saying as their defense. For example, one thing we tell our ladies is that they only deserve the best . Now don't take this as me going against that notion, because I plan on telling my daughter the same thing. The difference is, as opposed to just giving her that, and letting her find meaning in it through the material based world we live in, I will teach her what it means to deserve and demand the best. I have seen people end up in situations they weren't happy with because they were trying too hard to stick to a saying or phrase, when in actuality, they were missing the entire purpose of the message by taking it out of context. Maybe I am just too much of a realist to cosign to blind followings of sayings, but I really see it as a problem that can and has affected some people negatively. Knowing how to extract the meaning and appropriately apply it is a skill that is often times overlooked. I dont want to be long winded so in closing, don't use these uplifting and powerful words to paint a masterpiece so grand, that you cant see whats really going on behind it.

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 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 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 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, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.