Grant us, O God, that we may worship Thee to the utmost of faith and the limits of truth and suffer us not to fail to see the light of our true religion. 

Guide us that we may live this life to the fullest in devotion to Thee, in service to humanity and country, and in the realization of our true self.

Let the light of Thy divine wisdom direct us to a firm resolve to live up at all times to the creeds of our institution and teach us never to fail to measure up to the ideals of the profession we have chosen through life to follow.

Make us do, or think or say of others that which we want done, or thought or said of us.

Help us to live each day in the passing years in useful effort that our lives may be spent in accord with the pattern of our creeds – the true, the noble, and the high.

Give us that honest purpose in life which seeks fair deal with everyone and spurns all forms of hypocrisy that will enkindle our fighting faith, and smother all seeds of cowardice and fear in our hearts; the loyalty to our principles that place all issues above personal considerations, and shuns compromise with vice and injustice.

Strengthen our hearts with fortitude that we may discipline our lives to trail the difficult paths rather than stray on the easier ways.

Teach us to aspire above the level of common lives.

Help us to see all things in their true light that we may guard against frivolity in the sacred things of life even as we may enjoy in clean laughter its many delights.

Teach us to make our play in every game, whether in mere sports or life’s mightier struggles, one where our desire to win is second only to our love of the game itself, where we triumph as considerate victors or lose with grace and determined will to win.

Endow our hearts with kindness that we may sympathize with those who sorrow and suffer; unite us in friendhsip with all and help us to share the merriment of those with cheerful countenance that we may partake of their joy.

All of which we ask with faith in the everlastingness of Thine fount of grace to all men. Amen.

By Douglas McArthur

sourced from The Hindu Young World, Saturday, July 29, 2000

These lines were penned by the American general Douglas Mac Arthur while he was commanding the defence of the Philippines during World War II

 

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak,

brave enough to face himself when he is afraid;

one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort,

but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenges.

Let him learn to stand up in the storm.

Let him learn compassion for those who fail.

Build me a son whose heart is clear, whose goals will be high,

a son who will master himself before he seeks to master others,

one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past .

And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humour,

so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously.

Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness,

the open mind of true wisdom, and the meekness of true strength.

Then I, his father will dare to whisper, “I have not lived in vain.”

 

For a moment I thought I could forget you.
For a moment I thought I could still the restlessness in my heart.
I thought the past could no longer haunt me, nor hurt me.
How wrong I was!

For the past, no matter how distant, is as much a part of me as life itself. And you are part of that life. You are so much a part of me, of my dreams, my early hopes, my youth and my ambitions, that in all my tasks I can’t help remembering you. Many little delights and things remind me of you.

Yes, I came. And would my pride mock my real feelings?
Would the love song, the sweet and lovely smile on your face, be lost among the deepening shadows?

I have wanted to be alone.
I thought I could make myself forget you in silence and in song…And yet I remembered. For who could forget the memory of the once lovely, the once happy world such as ours?

I came because the song that I kept through the years is waiting to be sung. I cannot sing it without you. The song when sung alone will lose the essence of its tune, because you and I had been one.

I have wanted this misery to end, because it is part of my restlessness. Can’t you understand? Can’t you divine the depth and the tenderness of my feelings towards you? Yes, can’t you see how I suffer in this even darkness without you?

You went away because you mistook my silence for indifference. But silence, my dear, is the language of my heart. How could I essay the intensity of my love when silence speaks a more eloquent tone? But, perhaps, you didn’t understand…

Remember, I came because the gnawing loneliness is there and will not be lost until the music is sung, until the poem is heard, until the silence is understood….until you come to me again.

For you alone can blend the music and memory into one consuming ecstasy. You alone…

As usual, one of the plebe knowledge mainstays.    These sort of pieces are those we are supposed to know by heart… backwards, if possible.  Brain drills, if you will.   All meant to help sharpen our memory.  Tough but worthy.

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;

Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow -
You might succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup.
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out,

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt -
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit -

It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.

 

www.thedontquitpoem.com

 

Another one of the plebe knowledges that we had to know verbatim.  These knowledges kept our minds sharp, occupied and working =)

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 vexations 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 not this 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.

— Max Ehrmann, 1927

A fine inspirational piece. One of the things we had to know verbatim sometime ago
What do you think?

1.
http://agutie. homestead. com/FiLEs/ geometric_ art/video_ desiderata_ ehrmann.htm

2. http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=LqqsJJ08- uQ

FRIENDS’ SECRETS

I recently came across this interesting article on the net about friends’ secrets.  It was posted under Friendship Forever.  While this sort of thing is usually classified as girl stuff, I believe that this sort of thing also applies to the male side. This being said, I’d like to share the article with you.

 It is rightly said that one can share any secret with a true friend. He may know your deepest fears and weaknesses and yet will never take advantage of you. However, keeping a friend’s secrets to yourself and not telling the world about is what makes the bond grow strong and last forever. You need to develop a trust and mutual understanding before you start sharing secrets with each other. With friends, secret talks never seem to end and it can get really amusing to know what has been going on in your friend’s mind.

It is a general notion that only girls share secrets. But boys have their own secrets that they discuss with only closest of pals. The secret talks can range from crushes, relationships, talks regarding fights with parents, secret missions, hideouts and anything that is not supposed to be known to others! If you think secrets are limited to only teenagers, get your facts right! Secrets can be shared at any age and there is absolutely no such hard and fast rule that secrets are shared only among youngsters.

Sharing secrets with a friend is not just fun, but it also helps to develop a lasting trust on one another. Sometimes, sharing secrets will tell you more about the person. You will come to know whether your friend is reliable and trustworthy and whether it is worth sharing your secrets with them. You can call it a test of friendship and if a person passes it, he / she is definitely worth being made a trustworthy friend.

Click on the link below to follow the article:

http://festivals.iloveindia.com/friendship-day/friends-secret.html

No problems. Pride, foolish pride, usually gets in the way of everything.  Pride makes one seem tough enough but it also tends to break relationships. By the time we realize this, it is often too late already. So get rid of it and enjoy life, jefe!

Hello World!  This is my first official post here!  Please pardon the minute errors as I am still groping in the dark here. Many thanks also to Yanskeedoodle.  Domo Arigatu Gozaimasu. 

Cheers!