Blog Post
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Max’s Mad Lib
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. — Max Ehrmann, The Desiderata I have to admit, when I first read this sentence, I wasn’t really feeling it. Should we be enjoying our achievements more? Or our plans? Or is it the achievements for which we have planned? Or the plans that we’ve achieved? Max, Max, Max…what are you saying?!? Given his litany of directives about how to engage the world around us, I was a little surprised at the brevity of this installment’s statement. (The next sentence in the Desiderata may hint that he’s talking about vocation here, but that sentence actually stands alone as a fuller idea.) So,…
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All Beings Being Equal
+ If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater or lesser persons than yourself. — Max Ehrmann, The Desiderata To heed Ehrmann’s warning, let’s begin with a definition. Compare – verb 1. To examine (two or more objects, ideas, people, etc.) in order to note similarities and differences. Comparing does two things that run counter to deep connectedness and community. First, by definition, comparing ourselves to another separates us (i.e. we cannot compare a thing or person to itself.) Second, because comparing objectifies us and others, it’s inherently dehumanizing. We become the objects, figuratively speaking, of comparison. There is a…
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Guardians
Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. — Max Ehrmann, The Desiderata How often do we consider protecting our spirit? We use sunscreen on our bodies; limit what our minds encounter through ratings and reviews. But our spirits, delicate and resilient, require a different type of care. In this verse, Ehrmann instructs us to guard against loud and aggressive people. Yesterday at Target, a woman was having words with her child. She was several rows away, but her tone was notable. I observed myself becoming more attentive to my surroundings and beckoning my daughter closer. It was a primal response to danger. Involuntarily, we avoid loud,…
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Quiet and Clear
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. — Max Ehrmann, The Desiderata Everyone has a story. Some are beautiful; some are funny. Some are painful and even tragic. Most life stories contain all of these elements in their turn. As humans, we are storytellers. It’s how we inform one another about who we are and who we want to be. Inherent in the creation of our narrative comes the need for it to be heard. From PhDs to Pinterest, the world is full of references to our need for attention, approval, acceptance, allowing, and affection. Acknowledgement is my…
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Namaste
“As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.” — Max Ehrmann, The Desiderata The second half of this Ehrmann quote is one of those master of the obvious statements. Wanna be happy? Be on good terms with all persons. (Um, duh.) But working backwards, it gets more interesting. “As far as possible, without surrender…” The reference to surrender demonstrates the Ehrmann’s understanding of the human condition and the resulting truth that we will have conflict. People driven by fear, ego, and instincts that have over-rotated in their desire to be met will seek to dominate one another. Now and then, this warring nature manifests as…
