Desiderata II 
Take a moment of silence each day and listen to the voice in your heart. Enjoy each moment and live your life. But don’t remain silent for the world is drowned in deception and lies. Be careful for both will mislead you. Amidst the din of an angry crowd, speak your reasons out loud.

Open your mind. Acquire knowledge as much as possible. But to find wisdom, stick to the truth and stand by it. Don’t be afraid to get hurt, even if it means standing against your neighbors. Pain offers you the chance to be brave. It’s the only way to move on. 

Beware of prying persons reeking of stupid intentions. Avoid their endless rumblings as much as possible for, at the end of the day, they can ruin your spirit. Pursue your ambitions even in times of crisis. Don’t let failures stop you. No dreams are small if you strive to fulfill them as you progress through your life’s career. Search for an ideal and release your full potential to achieve it. Find something to challenge your mind or satisfy the moral cravings of your heart. Don’t allow success to lead you blindly.

Success can be intoxicating;

peel away the trappings

and you’re back to where you started.

Remember that light at the end of the rainbow

has an opposite dark.

 

Instead, take stock of your achievements,

and do one more good deed for your fellowmen,

especially the oppressed and the needy.

Who knows whom you’ll inspire this time?

 

Don’t let vanity get the better of you.

Be humble.

Be compassionate.

Let the best of virtues rule your actions.

Let people feel your kindness.

Help spread the essence of gratefulness.

Every act of goodness you do is one more reason

for another person to be thankful for.

 

Personalize your beliefs in the Creator.

You need a sensible explanation

to all that is happening in the world,

to things whether visible or invisible.

Let the Supreme Being be your anchor

against the increasingly confusing events

unfolding in your time.

 

Exercise extreme caution in the lure of religions.

There are a thousand and one creeds

that could entrap you

and you’ll end up all the more confused.

Let faith in God and in righteousness

empowering one’s actions be your guide.

 

Never be swayed

by the promise of fast profits.

Every cent of it that you gained is sweat

painfully extracted from the brows

of the poor and the exploited.

Spend your money on achieving high ideals,

the good, the true, and the beautiful.

Wealth spent on these things

is never withdrawn

from your life’s account.

 

Discover your God-given gift

which can give meaning to your life.

Use it to help people

and you’ll find your life’s purpose.

You’re a spiritual human being;

do something to make your soul complete.

 

Fall in love.

Take part in the eternal cycle

of life and death.

Among other things, it was because of love

that you were born.

Feel love even if people around you

seem to be devoid of it.

 

After all this is still a beautiful world.

And it’s the only one you’ve got.

 

                    - Nest Ferreras