..........“As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.”
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..........“This statement, apparently containing a clause of conditionality, is the second sentence of the classic Desiderata. The clause, that can logically be read as conditional, is unfortunately also equivocal or ambiguous as to the very sense of the sentence itself.
One meaning is:
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..........“Be on good terms with all persons; and as far as possible, attain that state without surrendering anything.”
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..........The other meaning, as valid as the first interpretation on the basis of the composition of the sentence, is: “Be on good terms with all persons as far as possible; that is, if you can attain that state without having to surrender anything.”
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..........In other words, it is saying that you ought to seek being on good terms with other people as long as it will be on your own terms, To concede, to agree, to meet somebody else halfway, could be construed as tantamount to surrendering something to some degree.
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..........Let’s think and rethink of the sense of the wiser or the wisest lesson that one can derive from this second sentence of Desiderata, whatever grammarians say and whatever the author might have actually meant as its intended meaning in the first place.
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..........In an earnest meeting of hearts and of minds, persons exert best efforts to define their patterns of interaction according to what they both can and will choose to be the mutually-desired configuration of their interaction. If one or both of them would have to alter a first or a previous preference, such shifting does not have to be viewed or felt as a surrendering of one to another, but a process of convincing to a position that is firmly accepted as the most logical and the most fair to all concerned.
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..........It is on the basis of such earnest discussions that real unities can be forged and real, deep and lasting peace can be attained between persons, between groupings of persons, or between formal entities.
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..........Let us further ponder this matter deeply, discern it in earnest, and rejoice in whatever measure of divine wisdom that it can increasingly carry!
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--'Readdingz'
August 20, 2010
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1 comment:
I am a student of the original Desiderata and found this the other day in my mail. May I post it here?
The Digirata 2.0 -- by Anonymous
GO placidly amid the hot links and the distractions,
and remember what peace there may be in unplugging.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons online and never never flame others or engage
in any kind of cyberbullying or cyberstalking.
Key in your truths quietly and clearly;
and read what others have to say, too
even the dull and the ignorant;
for they too have their stories and ideas to impart, even if you disagree.
Avoid angry and aggressive flamers and out of control cyberbullies,
for they are vexations to the spirit of the internet.
(Btw, remember to spell "internet" in a lowercased fashon,
even though Ted Anthony at the Associated Press
and Phil Corbett at the New York Times stubbornly
cling to the capital I style and they are wrong.).
If you compare your blog with other blogs that are better and have more visitors,
you may become vain and bitter, so just enjoy your own blog for what it is and don't
worry abut the big guys.
Enjoy your online achievements, as well as your plans for future downtime.
Keep interested in your own blogging, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution who you give your personal details to;
for the world is full of trickery and Nigerian scams waiting
to part you from your money.
Be yourself when you are online,
or, if it so pleases you, adopt a persona.
Use your real name or a pseudonym for your userid,
and let no one steal your password,
especially those pesky phishers.
Take kindly the counsel of your fellow bloggers
and gracefully chat with your Facebook
friends in real time. But don't over do it,
and always take time out to unplug
and enjoy a weekly
internet sabbath.
You are a child of the Digital Age,
no less than the keyboards and the pixels;
and you have every right to blog to your heart's content.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt cyberspace is unfurling as it should
and you are part of the great equation: E = mc2
Therefore be at peace with Amazon and Yahoo,
and make of your Kindles and your nooks what you will.
E-readers to the fore!
Whatever your labors and your aspirations,
in the multitasking distractions of cyberspace
keep peace with your soul -- if you still have one.
Rememebr: With all its sham, mattdrudgery, and broken keyboards,
it is still a beautiful online world.
Be cheerful. Use the smilely emoticon as much as possible.
Strive to be a happy camper and unplug often.
----------------------------------------------
BEING:
[An encrypted message found in a bottle floating across a glaring screen in the middle of Manhattan, and keyed in by an anonymous bloke.]
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