The poem Desiderata has shaped the lives of many and will continue to do so for years to come.
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.
La Paz Bolivia Street Scene (August 2019) — Image by kenne
To be born a man
She works so hard to make up for the sloth of her husband, and in the house (Pardon my surprise.) he's so inept and pompous, that of course he's the boss because he's a man!
If some poems get written, a person must have written them, but she just transcribed them. (Pardon my surprise.) If we're not sure who's the poet, why assume it was him? Because he's a man!
A smart, classy woman can't vote in elections, but the poorest felon can. (Pardon my surprise.) If he can just sign his name even an idiot can vote because he's a man!
He sins and drinks and gambles and in a backwards twist of luck she suffers, fights, and prays. (Pardon my surprise.) That we call her the "frail sex" and him the "strong sex" because he's a man!
She has to forgive him when he's unfaithful; but he can avenge himself. (Pardon my surprise.) In a similiar case he's allowed to kill her because he's a man!
Oh, privileged mortal you enjoy lifelong honor and perfect ease! For this, to get all this, it's enough for you to be born a man.
In August of 2019, we spent some time in La Paz, Bolivia, before flying over the Andes to the Madidi National Forest in the Amazon. While in La Paz, we went to the Gustu Resterarent. Opened by Dane and co-founder of four-time World’s Best Restaurant, Claus Meyer, in 2013 with grand ambitions to boost investment and training in Bolivia while also propelling the country on to the world’s gastronomic map. We choose one of the tasting menus. The food was artistically presented, each providing a memorable tasting experience.
Taxi from El Alto spirals towards the clogged streets A thousand metres down from hell to high-rise Thanksgiving in America a daily struggle in Bolivia Street lamp effigies signal certain death to thieves Two bodies on road surrounded by yellow tape Hombres sleep-like stillness an uncovered curiosity This morning neither knew it would be their last Fifty police listen to chief behind mahogany lectern Death brings them 15 minutes of news-time fame Cars and peasants pass by with unheeding speed Is death the end or just another part of life in La Paz?
Cholita Women In La Paz, Bolivia (08/19/19) — Image by kenne
City of the full moon & speckled dove, of breathlessness,
thin air spiked with smog & the clay-colored fingers
of La Cordillera Real cutting a serrated skyline
behind grey buildings. City of black-haired women,
stout cholas sharpening their eyes under
the curled brim of a bowler hat
tipped to one side, their shoulders swimming in shawls,
hips wobbling the hem of a bell skirt. City
of open-air markets where chilies spill from burlap sacks
wrapped around the vendors like colors in a palette
running from rust to buttercup yellow.
— from “Boarding an Overnight Bus – La Paz, Bolivia” by Marty Saunders
Perhaps instead of expecting things
Expecting everything to end the way you think,
It is better to leave them to the unknown.
To leave them empty so as you travel,
As you evolve…
And the pages will follow.
Balsa Wood Rafting On The Tuichi River In The Bolivian Amazon (8/21/19) — Image by kenne
La Paz Taxi — Image by kenne
Cholita Women In La Paz, Bolivia (08/19/19) — Image by kenne
La Paz Buildings (08/17/19) — Image by kenne
Illimani As Seen from La Paz, Bolivia (08/18/19)– Image by kenne
