Credo Series - Your Credo - Words to Live By [1]
A Credo Defines Your Perspective of the World in Terms of your Personal Values, What You Believe in, and by Association What You Stand For. Similar to listening to your intuition, your Credo guides you towards making choices that serve you. Credos' reflect how you engage with yourself and others. They also provide inspiration for how you want to be. By way of example my current theme of choice, is observing how well I listen. Up till now I have not considered listening a priority. Such that if I were to write my Credo today, I would describe what listening means to me and use my meaning as my guiding principle.
Whilst I have written a Credo, presently I do not have it at hand. However thinking about saying one thing and doing another which humans can tend to do, I see my writings as giving expression to my Credo. Adhering to your Credo is another conversation. For having established words to live by, one finds they are presented with situations which test your mettle AND your ability to be sensible and flexible. The key messages here are that Credos are not fixed in stone and not having a Credo written down, does not prevent you or I from living our lives deliberately.
Prior to my being able to give expression to who I am, the Credo that guided my life and remains by my side is Desiderata. It's pinned to my bathroom wall rather worse for wear, given its accompanied me from house to house with varying levels of attention given to the words.
'What I have lived for' is the term Bertram Russell gave to his Credo. Most of his words resonate with me, but I cannot fathom his wish to live his life all over again if the opportunity arose. But that's the beauty of people isn't it. We ARE all so very different with our individuality a precious gift. We MUST retain our uniqueness for our unique way of looking at the world invites others to consider and question their views.
Your Credo is a way of bringing out the best of who you are. And who you aspire to be. Thus you can bring into form attributes that have personal meaning to you, through the power of the written word in Your Credo.
Date: November 26 2019
Authoress: Carol Lorraine
Post script.
I rarely say the word MUST for Your life is about Your choices. However we are living through times where 'societies ways' actively discourage individuality. Your uniqueness is precious, hence my use of the word 'Must'.
Several views give rise to the origin of the word Credo as having religious connotations. Credo for my purposes is about defining the guiding principles I want to live by.
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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 her to be. And whatever your labours 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 careful Strive to be happy.
The authorship for Desiderata has more recently been claimed by Max Ehrmann © 1927. https://www.desiderata.com/desiderata.html