Our allies will not necessarily be the kind of dazzling people to whom everyone looks up and of whom they say: ‘There’s none better.’
On the contrary, they are people who are not afraid of making mistakes and who do, therefore, make mistakes, which is why their work often goes unrecognized.
Yet they are just the kind of people who transform the world and, after many mistakes, manage to do something that can make a real difference in their community.
They are people who can’t bear to sit around waiting for things to happen in order to decide which attitude to adopt; they decide as they act, well aware that this could prove highly dangerous.
Living with such people is important because we need to realize that before we face our goal, we must first feel free enough to change direction.
Join with all those who experiment, take risks, fall, get hurt and then take more risks.
Stay away from those who affirm truths, who criticise those who do not think like them, people who have never once taken a step unless they were sure they would be respected for doing so, and who prefer certainties to doubts.
Join with those who sing, tell stories, take pleasure in life, and have joy in their eyes, because joy is contagious and can prevent others from becoming paralysed by depression, loneliness and difficulties.
Ploughing the field
The moment the soil is turned, oxygen penetrates places it was unable to previously. This process of interior revolution is very important – because, just as the field’s new look will see sunlight for the first time, a new assessment of our values will allow us to see life innocently, without ingenuityA good creator must know how to continually turn over his values, and never be content with that which he/she believes he/she understands. Sowing
All work is the fruit of contact with life. He/she never knows, at the outset, which things will be important to him in the future, so the more intense his life is, the more possibilities he/she will create for an original language. If he/she tries to imitate or control his inspiration, he/she will never obtain that which he/she desires. He/she must allow his life to sow the fertile soil of his unconscious. Growth
There is a time in which the work writes itself, freely, at the bottom of the author’s soul – before it dares show itself. The creator must respect the time of gestation, although he/she knows – just like the farmer – that he/she is only partially in control of his field; it is subject to drought and floods. But if he/she knows how to wait, the stronger plants, which can resist bad weather, will come to light with great force. The Harvest
The moment when a person manifests on a conscious plane he/she sowed and allowed to grow. If he/she harvests early, the fruit is green, if he/she harvests late, the fruit is rotten. Every artist recognizes the arrival of this moment; although some aspects may not have matured fully, some ideas not be crystal clear, they reorganize themselves as the work is produced. Without fear and with great discipline, he/she understands that he/she must work from dawn to dusk, until the work is finished. Sharing
And what to do with the results of the harvest? Again, we look to Mother Nature: she shares everything with everyone. An artist who wishes to keep his work to himself, is not being fair with that which he/she received from the present moment, nor with the inheritance and teachings of his forefathers. If we leave the grain stored in the granary, it will go bad, even though it was harvested at the right time. When the harvest is over, the time comes to share, without fear or shame, your own soul.
Illustration by Ken Crane Changing attitude “Over the course of one year, give a coin to each person who offends or upsets you,” instructed the abbot of a young man who wanted people to follow a spiritual path. For the next twelve months, the boy gave a coin to each person who offended or upset [...]
Normally it is the publishing house that decides on the cover of a book. But on this occasion, they decided to send it to my agent, as the two ideas are totally opposite. Could my Russian friends help us (the publishing house, the agent and myself) to choose? please post your opinions in “Comments” below [...]
The boy was walking to buy bread when the mayor of the city crossed the street. ‘The reason he is so powerful, is because, he’s made a pact with the devil,’ a very devout woman in the street told the boy. Some time later, when travelling to another town, the boy saw a beautiful corn [...]
the video takes 20 sec to load AND does not play in Apple devices (not my fault!) Of course this may be very boring to watch. But I decided to record 20 minutes of me writing my new book. The feed was transmitted live on Twitter Admin Note : You can also watch it at [...]
It is hard to find anyone in any of the Scandinavian countries who does not know this law. Although the law exists since the beginning of civilization, it was only officially declared in 1933 by writer Aksel Sandemose in the novel “A refugee goes beyond limits.” The sad truth is that the Law of Jante [...]
EN ESPANOL: Las señales We may think at times that the only thing life offers us tomorrow, is to repeat everything we did today. But if we pay close attention, we will see that no two days are alike. Each morning brings a hidden blessing; a blessing which is unique to that day, and which [...]
