Lots of healthy tips ‘Desiderata’ and its parody ‘Deteriorata’!
Over the past century, a wise man wrote a collection of well-intentioned advice to guide us in leading meaningful lives. This has been published under the title ‘Desiderata’ and publicized for the last fifty years or so. The reader probably knows it since it appears in quite a few bookstores. As one might quickly notice, the items mentioned in that presentation reflect a lot of carefully selected suggestions that can help you face life with some maturity. By clicking on the link given as Reference 1 below, the reader can enjoy Desiderata. One of the reassuring elements there says, “Beyond healthy discipline, be kind to yourself.”
Some jovial person who happened to read ‘Desiderata’ came up with a hilarious parody. She called it ‘Deteriorata’. She makes us laugh, but oddly enough, some elements there also seem to hit the nail on the head with regards to leading a good life. You can enjoy Deteriorata by visiting the link indicated as Reference 2 below:
While Desiderata makes us take a closer look at some essential elements for good living, Deteriorata moves us towards a relaxed attitude imbued with carefree. Perhaps by applying the two of us together, we can head straight for Liberation! In any case, someone who has had a Near Death Experience (NDE) will surely appreciate both presentations.
Ironically, the Deteriorata joke fits with what J. Krishnamurti says in a little booklet called ‘Conversations’. The line is “Surrender”! This may sound strange. The point is that the ‘relinquishing’ is not in terms of any practical responsibility but in terms of ego strength. The liberation of the ego begins to take place from our understanding of how our conditioned mind keeps us stopped in its vortex of thought. Then the ‘letting go’ is effortless and there is freedom from attachment to people, things and ideas. The usual expression ‘I love you’ is in fact a matter of emotional attachment rather than the impersonal and universal love implicit in near-death experiences.
As we all know, two of the main messages of the NDE are: Unconditional compassion towards everyone (regardless of their religion, nationality, etc.) and a relaxed attitude towards life. Anything that helps us absorb the spirit behind those messages can lead us to higher levels of life. In this sense, the reflection on the two presentations mentioned above would play a role. When we dedicate ourselves to leading an orderly and useful life, circumstances help us move in that direction. It is up to us to appreciate them and cooperate with them.
It is sad to see the high number of suicide cases in many countries of the world. If we want to change this unfortunate state of affairs, we must turn our attention to young people and expose them to deeper questions of life instead of letting the conventional neurosis of society trap them. Schools should make provisions for this instead of dumping a lot of unnecessary knowledge on children. We should ask “Is education for the child or is the child for education?”
Related matters are discussed on the website: http://spirituality.yolasite.com
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Reference 1:
http://allpoetry.com/poem/8574007-Desiderata_-_Words_for_Life-by-Max_Ehrmann
Reference 2:
http://www.cs.umd.edu/~dabe/txt/deteriorata