Points to Wonder

some scenes from the film " LIFE " which we have clearly seen but hardly understood …

Desiderata

October 10th, 2008 Posted in insprational
Oct, 10 2008
2 Comments »
max ehrman

“Desiderata”

Go placidly amid the noise and the 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 vexatious 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.

The Confused History of “Desiderata”

The author is Max Ehrmann, a poet and lawyer from Terre Haute, Indiana, who lived from 1872 to 1945. It has been reported that Desiderata was inspired by an urge that Ehrmann wrote about in his diary:

“I should like, if I could, to leave a humble gift — a bit of chaste prose that had caught up some noble moods.”

Around 1959, the Rev. Frederick Kates, the rector of St. Paul’s Church in Baltimore, Maryland, used the poem in a collection of devotional materials he compiled for his congregation. (Some years earlier he had come across a copy of Desiderata.) At the top of the handout was the notation, “Old St. Paul’s Church, Baltimore A.C. 1692.” The church was founded in 1692. [1]

As the material was handed from one friend to another, the authorship became clouded. Copies with the “Old St. Paul’s Church” notation were printed and distributed liberally in the years that followed. It is perhaps understandable that a later publisher would interpret this notation as meaning that the poem itself was found in Old St. Paul’s Church, dated 1692. This notation no doubt added to the charm and historic appeal of the poem, despite the fact that the actual language in the poem suggests a more modern origin. The poem was popular prose for the “make peace, not war” movement of the 1960s.

When Adlai Stevenson died in 1965, a guest in his home found a copy of Desiderata near his bedside and discovered that Stevenson had planned to use it in his Christmas cards. The publicity that followed gave widespread fame to the poem as well as the mistaken relationship to St. Paul’s Church. [1]

As of 1977, the rector of St. Paul’s Church was not amused by the confusion. Having dealt with the confusion “40 times a week for 15 years,” he was sick of it. [1]

This misinterpretation has only added to the confusion concerning whether or not the poem is in the public domain.

By the way, Desiderata is Latin for “Things to be Desired.”

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RE-AFFIRMATION TO MY LIFE’S DEDICATION

April 22nd, 2008 Posted in insprational, poems
Apr, 22 2008
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I wrote this as a man in his later years, toiling under the heat of the sun as my father Teofilo (RIP) did. The romantic beauty of the interiors of Cadunan in Mabini Davao del Norte provided me countless ideas enough to fill pages of a modest book. My most meaningful (to me) works are written there, like TO YOU MY SON. Its rolling hills with the cool brooks were so fascinating that I promised to myself I will be back there someday to behold its beauty– and perhaps write there– once more. I know Totong Awoman, our neighbor then, will still share his “sinudsoran”. I hope…

RE-AFFIRMATION to MY LIFE’S DEDICATION
by doroastig mid’77

with your love, i am now what I am told
with gray hair i know i have lived so long
i can not repay you with silver nor with gold
only my whole self– an an ardent song

i shall sing to you the song of praise
the song of thanks and of adoration
i shall sing from my heart with bent knees
i shall make you the object of my meditation

for the life in the fields, the murmur of brooks
the peace in the sky, the love in the breeze
the beauty in flowers, the care from the folks
i shall gaily sing for them a lively song of praise

for the seas and hills, the valleys and plain
for every drop of rain that all-year round you bring
for the rays of the sun that shine on the grains
a sincere song of thanks i shall joyfully sing

for every hope and inspiration your beauty yield
for every morn broken, for every flower borne
for every dream fulfilled with your bountiful field
i shall sing for you the solemn adoration song

when lightning strike and quake mightily shake
when storm furiously blow and thunder angrily roar
when fear and confusion will stir the minds of the weak
i shall comfort them– they are whom i lived for

when there will be droughts and your brooks will run dry
when the fields crack and the shady trees’ leaves fall
when the sun will ceaselessly burn in the sky
i shall shed my tears to refresh your thirsty soul

when there will be floods and your treasure be drifted away
when the birds shiver and the flowers lose their charm
when the rain will continue to pour all day i shall offer
my breast to make your cold heart warm

i know i have but a single life to live
it maybe filled with joy more than a heart could bear
still, this blissful life i shall willingly give
for you, the the edge of grave i shall never fear

i know i have a lone death to die
it maybe filled with blood and strife and pain
still, i shall take that death without a sigh
what i lose for you will be counted as my gain

the sharp claws of death can do me no harm
its fangs may pierce me like a double-edged knife
i maybe torn to pieces but my heart shall remain warm
to serve just you till the last speck of my life

the wide mouth of death can swallow me not
dust and ashes i may become in my final rest
tho’ the wear of time will make the mortal in me rot
i know somewhere in your heart i shall forever exist!

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THE SON…THE FATHER…ME

April 7th, 2008 Posted in family, insprational, short story
Apr, 07 2008
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THE SON…THE FATHER…ME

SOMETIME IN THE MID 60’s…on the hilly side of a remote barrio Bongabong, in Pantukan, Davao…around 5:00 a.m…

“This is radio station DXAW now signing on. This station is owned and operated by Auto Broadcasting System (now ABS-CBN) and transmitting at 640 kilocycles…” the Avegon transistor radio blared in the early summer morning.

A door of a small house has opened. The father, Teofilo (RIP), has sharpened his grasshawk while his carabao has just started to nibble the young kumpay grass. The smell of burning kerosene from the “abohan“(cooking place) suggested that the mother, Isidora (RIP), had risen too. The son, about twelve, was unaware of what was going on. He was still in his deep sleep.

As expected, “Pagmata na! (wake up)”, the father said.

The son hesitantly obeyed. After he rubbed his face with his bare hands, he headed towards the small, wood framed mirror to comb his long hair, Beatles style. The father’s Tugaris wristwatch displayed 5:10 a.m. He then tuned the radio to DXMM to listen to his favorite songs. “Constantly” by Cliff Richard. “There’s Always Me” by Elvis, but most of all, to the Beatles. He has seen them on Song Cavalcade, a songbook called songhits. To him, they were the best. The father’s advise not to sport long hair was ignored. His big but flat nose did not match to his hair, unlike the real Beatles’.

The father though, did not fail to instill to the son’s mind the rewards of hard work. Of perseverance. Of self-reliance. Of trustworthiness. Of diligence. And many more. He did these not just by words but also by acts. He was a man of few words. He showed strong character not only during plentiful harvests but also on scarce seasons.

And yes, the importance of education. In one occasion, the son joked about the father’s ability to write clearly. It was election time. Marcos/Lopez vs. Macapagal/Pelaez. The father practiced what he would write in the ballot. The “c” in Marcos was not bent well. The “L” in Lopez looked like a “B”. The son called him Marios Bopez. The father just laughed and said, “Do not follow me. Study hard until you finish. I am here to support.”

PRESENT TIME…in the city… The wall clock displays 5:10 a.m.

The telephone rings. The father answers. It is an early call from Mila Cabiliza, the procurement officer from Tagum City-based DANECO, an electric cooperative supplying electricity to three provinces and two cities. She asks if their ordered goods are ready for pick up. DANECO has been his regular client for years.

The father have already packed them up the night before. It took him only four days to fabricate the goods. His shop is neat and tidy. The tools are in their proper places.

The twenty five-year old son, Junjun, is still sleeping. the father does not want to wake him up. He knows his son is working overtime for his programs. The father’s dreams for him are now a reality. The son finished his studies and is now working for a foreign company. Home-based, through the internet. In fact, he now operates and maintain a website he himself created.

Did the father effectively instill to his sons mind the rewards of hard work? Of perseverance? Of self-reliance? Of trustworthiness? Did he show it not only in words but also in deeds? Did he displayed a strong character to his son?

Maybe yes. The son followed what the father wants him to. He never had any tattoos– no body piercing in any manner. He does not smoke. He sticks to only one girl for almost five years. He works diligently.

A good son? Sure!

A good father? Maybe.

ARE THERE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE TWO SETTINGS?

Obviously. Both have fathers. Both have sons. The fathers wake up earlier than the sons. They both taught their sons moral values not just by words but by deeds as well. They showed to their sons strength in character.

Why are they similar? It is but natural, an age-old fact. What a father teaches to his son will also be taught by the same son to his own. The son in the early 60’s and the father at present time is one and the same– and that is me. I have been raised by my father with moral values, so I have to, too, to my son.

My only regret is that my father’s dreams for me did not all come true. While my son finished his studies, I have not!

Still, I am a happy and fulfilled father to my son!

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