Desiderata

Go placidly amongst the noise and haste...

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 vexatious to the spirit.

and remember what peace there may be in silence...

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 years...

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.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be...

Max Ehrmann (1872-1945)

This beautiful prose poem, Desiderata, meaning “things desired”in Latin was wrtten by American writer Max Ehrmann (1872-1945). Virtually unknown in the author’s lifetime, it was used by a priest of St Paul’s Church , Baltimore, Maryland in a selection of devotional material for his congregation. The handout had at the top of its front page the inscription:

“Old Saint Paul’s Church, Baltimore A.D. 1692.”

Presumably, this meant that the antiquity of the church was 1692.

Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965)

Years later,  when Adlai Stevenson, an American politician, much respected for his intellect, eloquent public speaking, and promotion of liberal causes, died in 1965, this pamphlet was found by his bedside. It surmised that Stevenson planned to use the poem for his Christmas cards. The poem was circulated widely under the mistaken notion that it was an inscription dating back to 1692 which was found in St Paul’s church. The poem attained great popularity especially after Les Crane, an American radio announcer and talk-show host made a spoken word recording of it. This proved a great hit and the poem gained in fame and public recognition.

Kamahl (b. 1934 - to date)

Almost thirty years ago in my late uncle’s house when cassette recorders were the craze, I loved to listen to the deep baritone voice of an Australian singer of Tamil ethnic origin named Kamahl. Amongst his many songs were two of my favourites – the Elephant song and a recital of this poem – Desiderata.

Desiderata is not just a lovely poem of great human sentiment, it has been considered to represent a philosophy of life by Osho, Bhagwan Shri Rajneesh himself. As a teenager I remember being handed a pamphlet once by an Osho disciple in which he compared the great religions of the world with the Bahá’í Faith and Desiderata, both of which I had not known about before then.

IMAGE CREDITS: Click image to reach source.

• Crowd - Vincent & Bella Productions, Creative Commons 2.0 on Wikimedia Commons.
• Mushrooms – J.J. Harrison, Creative Commons 3.0 on Wikimedia Commons
• Max Ehrmann - Fair use, on Wikipedia.
• Kamahl -Sound and Vision Wiki – Gallery: Lavish with music Creative Commons 3.0 on Wikimedia Commons.

Ten belles to be stranded on a desert island with?

This post by Aggressive Opinions got me thinking! Its based on Praveen J’s post of 2001! To recall what Praveen posted :

MAROONED IN AN ISLAND

This is a repeat of a feature that appeared in Newsletter for Birdwatchers in the lines of
the erstwhile BBC programme Castaway in a desert. It goes like this. If you are to be marooned
on an island and the captain of the ship promises you to send 10 species of birds of your
choice (so that u can pass time for the rest of your life!!!) how would the selection go?

AO in his post reflected Job Joseph’s view :

1. A Bengal Florican…..boy its gait itself is worth watching.

Bengal Florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis) (Image:Richard Lydekker, 1895 - public domain)

2. A Brown headed storkbilled k’fisher. I like its call very much.
3. A swan..for me to feed during the day.
4. A tame cockatoo…to keep me company in my make-shift hut.
5. A hunting falcon….courtesy some rich sheikh.
6. A rooster…to wake me up.
7. A hen….to give the rooster company.(eggs are tasty)
8. An ostrich….bigger eggs are more tasty!
9. Racket-tailed drongo….more for the price of one?( hear animal
sounds)
10. A hummingbird….let it contribute to pollination.

However, it got me thinking, If I were on a desert island, and I had to have ten bird species with me, which would I want?

I disregard AO’s rider that you can’t eat the bird. Survival is brutal. Nothing aesthetic about it. So in order to do a Robinson Crusoe or a Swiss Family Robinson (known to lovers of Classics illustrated comics), what would be the ten best birds to have with me? I’m sure we could do a much better job. Don’t hesitate to comment!

 

Quote – John Muir on “Nature”

 

Building...

creating...

destroying...

John Muir (1838-1914)

Nature is ever at work building and pulling down, creating and destroying, keeping everything whirling and flowing, allowing no rest but in rhythmical motion, chasing everything in endless song out of one beautiful form into another.

John Muir, Naturalist and explorer

 

Image Credits: Click on image to reach source.

• Building… – US National Parks Service, Public domain.
• Creating… - Edward Crateau, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain.
• Destroying… – Christian Revival Network on Flickr. CC Attribution 3.0 Unported.

 

Recommended reading? Dr Tatiana, oops…Olivia Judson!

Olivia Judson giving advice to a love-lorn jewel beetle.

My penchant for bemoaning the paucity of good nature writing is well-known to readers of what I post. So when I come across good stuff, it’s just right that I let you all know.

A few days ago, I had recommended the butterfly articles of Peter Smetacek of Bhimtal. Now I have something different – well-crafted science writing on matters biological by Olivia Judson.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/olivia-judson/

The author blurbs tell us that Olivia Judson is more than a science writer,  she has a bachelor of science degree from Stanford and a doctorate from Oxford. An evolutionary biologist and award-winning science journalist who has been published in The Economist, Nature, Science, and The Guardian, among other publications, Judson is a research fellow at Imperial College in London (UK) where she studies evolution. Judson’s weekly column in the New York Times is where I’m pointing you at.

But there’s more. Judson is nothing less than the author of what Richard Dawkins called ”winningly sophisticated zoological comedy.” I am referring to Judson’s landmark book :

Dr Tatiana’s Sex Advice to all Creation – The Definitive Guide to the Evolutionary Biology of Sex

From what I have read it’s absolutely hilarious and I just cant wait to get hold of my copy.

One reviewer writes :

Creating an alter ego, Dr, Tatiana, who’s a sex advice columnist to the animal world, Olivia Judson offers numerous fascinating examples of the myriad bizarre and entertaining ways in which bugs, fish, birds, and mammals (and a few other things) procreate.  The format of the book, with her answering nervous letters from various creatures, is derived from a column she wrote for The Economist in 1997 and it allows her to keep the discussion light and sometimes very funny.  Here’s an example, included in slightly different form in the book, that appeared in that original essay:

Dear Dr Tatiana,

I am worried. All my lovers leave their genitals inside me and then drop dead. Is this normal?
-PERPLEXED IN CLOVERHILL

Dr Tatiana replies…

WITHOUT even looking at your picture, I can tell that you are a queen bee. Unfortunately, dear, your partners plug you on purpose. Their explosive acts of heroism are fatal but fruitless attempts to prevent other males from consummating your nuptial flight. If their efforts ever cause a problem for you, I suggest that you enlist—between each tryst—your many sisters to clean you up and remove any detritus.

Is your case normal? Well, although it is extreme, it is by no means unique. In the sexual wars, plugs, cements and glues to clog up the female reproductive tract have evolved repeatedly. Leaving the genitals behind is just an unusual variation of this male ploy. Life gets even kinkier,
in fact. In a species of spiny-headed worm, males use their cements on each other, trying to gum up their rivals.

Still not satisfied? Here’s a sample from Dr Tatiana’s website. Be sure to check out the Economist link I gave you above! Enjoy! Better still get the book and read it, as I plan to do. Who says science needs to be boring?

IMAGE CREDIT:

• Olivia Judson with beetle : from Sandwalk, under “fair use”, click image to reach source.
• Dr Tatiana’s sex advice to all creation : Dr Tatiana website, under “fair use”, click image to reach source.