Desiderata Unveiled: Discovering the Secrets of a Meaningful Life
Click Here to Watch the Poem Reading and Spiritual Teaching
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 to 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 or 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 in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
~ Max Ehrmann
Overall Message, Background, and Importance
Desiderata is a beautiful poem that I think everyone should spend some time to study.
Unlike some of the other poems I cover on my posts and YouTube channel, it’s not exactly a spiritual poem per se, but more so a poem about life — and more specifically, what makes life truly meaningful.
Composed nearly a century ago by American writer and poet Max Ehrmann, Desiderata is still read and cherished by many people today. But interestingly enough, it didn’t really achieve widespread popularity until the 1960s and 70s, when a series of unrelated events in the U.S. led to its rise in fame.
During this time, the poem was featured on a popular radio show, a Grammy-winning spoken-word song, and numerous posters that adorned the walls of many homes, offices, and classrooms.
Now, I mention this background, because there was something in these lines that really resonated with people back then, especially amidst all the cultural and social upheaval that was taking place at that time. You had the Civil Rights movement, the Anti-War movement, the Women’s Liberation movement, and the counterculture and hippie movement — all within the span of just two decades.
These movements represented a period of significant societal change and, for a lot of people, it made them question traditional norms and values. For this reason, Desiderata spoke to so many people who were seeking guidance, inner peace, and a sense of purpose during those tumultuous times.
But as I mentioned, it’s not just the people back then who enjoyed it. People from near and far enjoy it to this day, and I suspect they will still enjoy it many years later.
Latin for “things desired,” Desiderata is a timeless reminder to prioritize inner peace, personal growth, and positive relationships. It teaches us to avoid materialistic or superficial things so that we can actually focus on what is truly important and meaningful in life.
And it inspires us to be happy and positive no matter how difficult life gets. No matter if we are facing a war in Vietnam or a war inside ourselves.
Because ultimately “the universe is unfolding as it should,” and God has a plan for all of us.
So, let’s spend some time unraveling the secrets of this beautiful poem, with a specific focus on what I believe to be its three main themes, which are: 1) being at peace with God; 2) growing as a person; and, 3) nurturing positive relationships with others.
We’ll spend some time going over each of these, and then we’ll summarize it all at the end.
Being at Peace with God
Let’s start with the first theme by focusing on this beautiful opening line: “Go placidly amid the noise and the haste.”
Typically, inspirational poems like this encourage the reader to take action, be ambitious, and rush unceasingly toward their dreams.
But what I love about Desiderata is that conveys the beauty and value of slowing down amidst all the chaos in life.
No matter what country or era we live in, there will always be chaos in our life. This could be chaos in our health, finances, relationships, or even mental state.
But as paradoxical as it may seem, it’s the chaos in life that actually makes it beautiful. That makes us appreciate the joy and bliss of peace.
So, rather than run away from the noise, chaos and haste, proceed calmly and “remember what peace there may be in silence.”
No matter how loud the world may seem, no matter how loud our mind may seem, there is always a peaceful silence radiating inside us.
And although Ehrmann is not specifically telling us to meditate or sit quietly in contemplation, it’s almost implied that he is encouraging us to do so.
Because our true essence is silence. Our true source of peace and joy is silence.
And if we remember this, then we will be able to navigate all the ups and downs in life without ever losing the core of what makes us special. We will be able to always remain connected with God, who is our ultimate source of peace and happiness.
Now, the poem kind of jumps back and forth between different topics, but for the purpose of keeping things focused and grouped into the three themes I mentioned earlier, I am going to jump to the end of the poem, where Ehrmann continues this spiritual message.
Because consistent with the idea of going calmly amid all the noise and haste is the notion of surrendering to God — of trusting the Universe and all its infinite wisdom to reveal the path that is right for us.
Ehrmann wisely hints at the fact that sometimes we don’t know what God’s plan is. And for most of us, that could lead to extreme anxiety, impatience, and uncertainty.
We have a desire to always be in control, and this stems from identifying with our mind too much. It stems from identifying with our ego, or false self.
It’s this ego that constantly feeds us lies and illusions to distance ourselves further from God.
From the viewpoint of our ego, everything in life can be controlled or influenced, and we should do everything in our power to maintain this control in order to be happy.
But this is the greatest lie of all.
Happiness is not found in having every single thing go our way. It’s found when we trust and surrender to God.
He is the One who created our life in the first place. So, wouldn’t He know how our life should unfold… better than we do? Wouldn’t He know what truly makes us happy…better than we ever can?
This is what it means to be “at peace with God.”
To not go against His will nor to resist what is naturally unfolding.
That is when we can truly say we are at peace.
And I love how Ehrmann keeps this message universal to all walks of life by acknowledging that everyone has a different conception or idea of God, based on their unique upbringing, beliefs, and life journey.
But no matter whether we call Him “God” or “Source,” no matter if we were raised “Christian” or “Muslim,” we are all referring to the same power. The same energy. The same consciousness.
We need to be at peace with God, and this starts by being at peace with our own soul.
For what is the soul, but a reflection of God?
The soul is the essence of God inside us, and the voice that guides us when no one else will.
When our mind is filled with endless thoughts, when our life is filled with endless challenges and responsibilities, it is our very own soul that is showing us the path.
Therefore, we must be at peace with it. We must listen to and follow its wisdom, even if our mind is full of fear and doubt.
Because as Ehrmann rightly says, “it is still a beautiful world.” No matter what we have been through, it is still a beautiful life.
And we must not only be grateful for this gift of life we have been given. We also have to be positive and cheerful as well, which brings me to the second main theme of the poem: growing as a person.
Growing as a Person
Building off of the spiritual growth we just discussed, many of us also have a desire to grow as a person.
In fact, sometimes the two are kind of used interchangeably and can mean the same things. That is, when you grow as a person, you grow spiritually. And when you grow spiritually, you grow as a person.
But there are some incredibly wise nuggets here that can be enjoyed and reflected upon without the need for a spiritual background.
For example, Ehrmann talks about enjoying our achievements and plans, and keeping interested in our career.
While this is not necessarily spiritual guidance, I think we can all agree that this is some wise advice indeed.
We should always take pleasure in what we’re doing, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem.
And although the world may be “full of trickery,” there are still real heroes out there and people who strive for high ideals.
What I love most about this theme is Ehrmann’s simple, but powerful, words of wisdom, especially when he encourages readers to “be yourself.”
Sadly, we hear these words all the time, but rarely follow them.
Instead, we try to be someone we’re not in order to garner someone’s affection or approval. We wear different masks for each occasion and person, that we all of a sudden lose sight of who we really are.
But as important as it is to know and embody these things, it often takes some time to learn.
This is why Ehrmann encourages us to take “the counsel of the years,” and gracefully surrender “the things of our youth.”
When we are young, we blindly chase after useless and transitory things. These can be material possessions, unfulfilling relationships, or even false ideals and beliefs.
In our boundless desire and naivety, we sometimes to fail to distinguish between what is right for us and what is wrong for us.
But over time, as we grow older and wiser, we see that these things of our youth are not really there to serve us, and can often hurt us. We begin to see the world — and our life — in a whole new way, and we eventually let go of these meaningless things and attachments.
Last but not least on this theme of growing as a person is the idea of being gentle with yourself. That is, don’t be too hard on yourself.
Don’t worry or stress if you don’t have everything figured out or if life hasn’t panned out the way you wanted it to.
Remember, the Universe is unfolding as it should and you have a right to be here. You have a purpose in this world, even if it’s not clear to you at this time.
And so, rather than distressing yourself with “dark imaginings,” banish these fears and worries and nurture your spirit to shield you in times of uncertainty and misfortune.
This is when knowing who you really are and connecting with your soul makes all the difference.
Because if you can connect with your soul, and thereby connect with God, you will be shielded from every worry, fear, and sorrow.
There is an entire Universe inside us, and this poem is only scratching the surface.
Nurturing Positive Relationships
Moving now to the third and final theme of the poem, which is nurturing positive relationships.
As much as we might think that the world revolves around us, the truth is that it simply doesn’t.
There are billions of other people living in the same planet, and if you look down at Earth from outer space, we are not even a dot in the frame.
So, it’s important to keep this in perspective and to work on our relationships with others, because this life is meant to be lived together.
For this reason, Ehrmann is encouraging us to be on good terms with everyone as much as possible.
We all know this is difficult to do 100% of the time, but to the extent we can, we should always be respectful, kind and loving toward others.
It’s ok if our views are different. We can speak our truth quietly, but we should also listen to others because they might have something to teach us as well.
In fact, the people we often discount and ignore — the “dull and ignorant,” as Ehrmann says — sometimes have the greatest insights.
But at the same time, we should also be mindful of who we are spending our time with.
Is it with calm and wise people who have something to teach us? Or is it with “loud and aggressive” people who drain our energy and distract us from tapping into our soul?
This is an art that can take years to refine and master, but one that is nonetheless essential for our personal and spiritual growth.
Wrapping it all up is the idea of not comparing ourselves with others, no matter how much we are tempted to. And believe me, we are all tempted to compare ourselves with others from time to time.
That’s because the ego cannot thrive in isolation. It needs a way to measure its worth, and it does so by comparing itself to others.
If it feels like it’s lacking something, it’s creating a desire in your mind. And if it feels it has something that others don’t, it brags its superiority, even though there is no such thing.
Either way, the ego is always comparing itself to others. But you can do your part to avoid these comparisons, and just focus on yourself.
Just focus on your own personal growth, and you will be able to transcend your ego and truly be at peace.
Summary and Conclusion
For if it’s one thing you can take away from this poem it’s that peace and happiness are always yours.
They are the things you desire most, but they are also the things that can always be found in endless quantities.
Our job is to remove the barriers preventing us from accessing these qualities, and we can do this by being at peace with God, growing as a person, and nurturing positive relationships.
So, I hope you enjoyed this poem, and the timeless wisdom and inspiration it has to offer.
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Not only will we delve into beautiful poems like this one, but we’ll also explore deep spiritual teachings and guided meditations that can help us awaken and achieve inner peace.
But for now, thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you will join me again soon!
