Poems That Are Really Controlling Us..Undying Doctrines

As I was surfing some military sites in the web, I came across some very familiar poems that although I have forgotten to recite and maybe i could no longer do well without mental block on some lines, I could still tell that these poems somehow had become controlling doctrines for us in the police and military service.

One of these is Desiderata. The title itself reminded me of Upperclassman Demet Flores during my cadet days in the reserved force. Sir Flores was then became my classmate in the Police Training in 1996. In the old days, he would never be so forgiving if you missed a word in this poem.

So here are the most memorable military poems we have for your reference, reminders, and inspiration:


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 vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself to others, you may become vain and 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 it's sham drudgery and broken dreams; it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

-- Max Ehrmann




PLEDGE OF LOYALTY


If you work for a man in heaven’s name, work for him, speak well of him, and stand by the institution he represents.

Remember, an ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness.

If you must crawl, condemn and eternally find fault why, resign your position, and when you are in the outside, damn to your heart’s contents!

But as long as you are a part of the institution, do not condemn it. For if you do, the first high wind that comes along will blow you away. And probably, you’ll never know why.




MILITARY PROFESSIONALISM


Men who adopt the profession of armssubmit their own free willto a law of perpetual constraintsof their own accord.

They resist their rightto live where they choose,to say what they think,to dress as they like.

It needs but an orderto settle them from their familiesand dislocate their normal lives.

In the world of commands,they must rise, march,run, endure bad weather,and go out without sleep or food,be isolated in some distant post,work until they drop.

They have ceased to becomemasters of their own fate.

If they drop on their tracks,their ashes shall be scatteredin the four winds,that is all part and parcel of their job.
-


DON'T QUIT


When things go wrong as they sometimes will
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile but you have to sigh
When the world is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must but don’t you quit

Life is queer with its twists and
everyone of us sometimes learns
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out
Don’t give though the pace seems slow
You may 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 can never tell how close you are
You maybe near when it seems too far
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit
It’s when things are worst that you mustn’t quit