Huey

1. Insecurity,
- self loathing, what we are is not enough so pretending to be something else is better than what we are
- insecure because they are not what they “should” be.
- confidence is an attractive trait one tries to be that in order to be admired or respected and obviously appear “secure” but an over confident line is generally reached.

2. Strength,
- not to be strong but to appear it. Different reasons…to your children, to appear strong to what we think will benefit others in the long run

3. To Convince,
- a way to convince yourself (and everyone else) your alright

4. A Way of Life (Getting By)

It’s easy to say you are humble when everyone else around you is humble. But the true test of character comes when you are humble in the presence of an arrogant.[/quote]

I agree with you on this and I also would like to know the answer…

You and I both from the same homeland have chosen to uproot ourselves & be planted on strange soil. In doing so, we must recognize that our difference may cause others to be arrogant at us at times. Our color, our working ways, our ideas may cause others to treat us …even cruelly at times. But Humility is the best armor against arrogance. Kill arrogance with humility; with this, respect is born.

Hear this story and be proud that we are a race, taught well, in handling arrogance.

2 patients of mine come, one prompt and one late. I stand by as the late patient lashes his anger at me as I decide to treat the prompt patient.I silently take in all his reasons (even his cruel words). Once finished, I merely look at him and re-schedule his appointment. He leaves.

Prompt patient tells me, “Doctor, you have earned my highest respect today. I have concluded that Filipinos are better people than I am. Just this morning, I shouted at a Filipino staff for an honest mistake he did. After almost half an hour of angry words, he looks at me and simply says, I will do better next time sir and goes his way. I could not stand what I had done and told him this afternoon, You are a better person than I am, please forgive me. So don’t worry doctor, that man is just too angry to admit his mistake but he will, in time. But may I ask you how you do it? How can you stand such arrogance?”

Simple: we think little of it, not take it to heart, and we smile a lot. Our country is small and poor but big and rich on serving with a “humble” smile.

Dear Paulo:
Thank you for all the inspiration you have given me so far, I know i was late getting to know your books and writings, but it is always better late than never.
I wish i would live enough to read your rivers of writings.
You have influenced me so much that i am about to make the decision that will move me away from what “i have to do” to what “i want to do”.
Thanks and God bless you

The man is grateful for his wishes and makes the first one,” I wish for all the great things in life a big house with a pool and ten cars and five wives.”
The genie granted his wish and his neighbour got double.

The man a bit irate at his neighbour’s fortune made his second wish,” I wish of all the money gold and jewels of the world.” The genie granted his wish and again the neighbour got double. The man was totally angry, he couldn’t even enjoy his new gifts or his five wives because his neighbour had ten wives and two houses and twenty cars.

He thought long and hard about his last wish…”Genie of the lamp, for my last wish, I wish for one testicle…

Over the past nine months I have learned a few great things…My most valuable lesson was to listen to your heart when it shouts so loud that you hear it and feel it pounding through your chest and to forget what your head is saying as it is only what you are programmed to think. Your heart is who you are and nobody can take that from you as your life is between God and you.

All those voices saying do it, work there, don’t leave, don’t grow, never think for yourself, listen to me, I know best, never follow your heart, never trust the world, only think of yourself. The list goes on. There has been Destine written in the sand for everyone. Thousands of years may have passed and what has been written has long been hidden, but it was once written and although it was lost, God in his love wrote something just for you.

I am still learning to let go of my arrogance and I am eager to be rid of it. It has caused me much pain, sorrow and heartache. I deserve, I’m better, why me or why not me, I should have, I should be, I own great things, and the list goes on and on..

Learning to be humble I am happier, lighter and not weighed down by the arrogance society has confused with privelege.

Thank you Paulo for opening my eyes to live a fuller happier life everyday!

Books on the otherhand can inspire and motivate the reader to go out in the world to experience and for self realisation. Books can help guide the reader in the right direction. Books open a world many of us thought never existed, and yes its up to us to explore this world and learn from it.

It is a bit naive to say that we can not find ourselves through writing. I might have not fully have understood what Vikas meant with the following:

“I hope guys get over writing to learn the things of two yourself …”

I personally know that keeping a journal, a blog or even writing novels you learn a lot of your own personality. When I write its like meditation. You scale the depths of your mind and resurface things you never knew about yourself. Some things great and some things not so great, but always good to know.

Josephine – You are so right..courage and love ARE the only important things. Time has its importance, too, though, as I’m finding….always running out of it, it seems! Money…I actually hate it..with the love of it being the root of all evil and stuff. Maybe it’s not so much the love it, but the greed that results.

Chris – Totally agree with you about Paulo being a ‘messenger of the heart’….that’s the perfect way to describe him!

And last but not least – Daniel Q. – I was interested in what you said about authority. That was a good observation about the officer not being arrogant. I know, I personally, as I mentioned above (many moons ago) I had a funny feeling about being arrogant to the policeman and maybe it was because of that one point – that HE wasn’t being arrogant. Thinking of the arrogance, however, of the ‘important’ person who was about to pass…I think that’s where we all placed our focus. At least, I think that this is what the story was, perhaps, supposed to be about. (??)

I had to laugh to myself and wonder….are you a police officer or in some similar position, which is why you took offense?

I don’t personally hate authority, myself. I hate corrupt government officials…and, well, corrupt individuals. And, I guess hate is too strong a word. My wish for them is that they would look within themselves and act out of love for all humanity, as opposed to their own welfare and greedy interests. It hurts my soul to see our governments killing our planet and us for money.

Sorry to be such a posting hog! I just love people and love to connect, as I live such a sheltered and reclusive life.

Peace and love to all and to all a good night. Oh, or good day, whichever the case may be.

-New and Improved, Smiley Face Icon – Free, Deb. (Did you notice? Not a one!) (And I feel so naked without them)

I hope guys get over writing to learn the things of two yourself. When the life strikes, you and you only decidet the consequenses based on your insticts. Now some will say instincts can be trained by reading writings.

Yes, insticts can be trained but by experience. good books leave good thougths, the positive behind but learn to unlearn to act on those.

Preaching is not of great help so i am not a philosper. i can go on but you guys get to know yourself by experience.

I am a 23 year old guy who happens to be in search for evrything that would let me understand life and its complexities. (though at times i end up wallowing the truth that we can never define things with perfect context as everything is relative)

i love reading the posts especially now that i am bound for another chapter in my life. that is am leaving my homeland for a job. it appeases me to know that i have the theories to hold on to, principles to live by and love to share with. and i owe paolo for opening my mind into such greater heights.

while i was reading the posts for this issue (which is really the first time that i did) i was thinking to myself of the best realization of time.

we are all created in such different ways. our culture differ in delimiting what we feel, how we react and when to open up. but what makes things really craggy is when we tend to let other people think and feel the way we want to. that we tend to tell people of how they should react when their way of thinking does not meet our standard.

we are all capable of showing who and what we are made of. but that does not mean that we are free to let other people’s definition be guided by our own demands. the world is a big big world with so many to be amazed of. instead of clamouring for things which are not supposed to be (that is relative as a statement again) why don’t we just be mindful of how we can make other people’s life better than what they have now? am nt trying to emphasize charity but rather the trth that we will end up getting hurt when we focus on ourselves. the essence of living is not solely defined on our own but with the coexistence of other beings (again, this is my definition)

it’s not what we see but how we see it.

keep it u paolo you are inspiring me to become the best of who i can be and puruse life with a positive view.

i am dave from the philippines.

debbie ihow i wish you were my mom just by reading your lines i know that you have a good heart. dex, be true to yourself.

Teaching and learning are connected. For example no one can teach how to teach, every teacher have to learn that by himself (or herself). And also no one can know something perfectly until he haven’t taught that. I know this from my maths teacher, and this is also my own experience. I help my classmates to understand a certain thing, and i only understand that after i had explained them 3 or 4 times. That is also true, that i could use those formulas before, and i thought i understanded them perfectly, but the questions of my classmates make me realize that i don’t
know the source of the problem. After thinking a bit i find it out, and then i’m happy.

I think The Zahir is some kind of biography (though it is not a biography), and Coelho sais in the book that he also don’t understand utterly what he writes. But this is not a problem.

Best wishes to everybody,
Szabi

“ALWAYS BE HUMBLE”

It’s easy to say you are humble when everyone else around you is humble. But the true test of character comes when you are humble in the presence of an arrogant.

I think you’re right about the librarian comment! ;)

And, I envy you for not needing more money or time…..I could use all of that and more!! Including more courage! Not to be greedy or anything.

And, I agree with Jyothi about wishing that I could be like the wife in the Zahir.

I noticed that not too many have commented on Paulo’s book ‘Eleven Minutes’, and I wanted to say to Paulo, thanks for that book. I was a bit shocked by the sex scenes, at first, but after reading it…my husband was a very thankful man, too…. for at LEAST eleven minutes. Hee hee! ;)

Hope you all have a wonderfully passionate day. :)

Love,

-Deb, The Perverted One

reading your reply and i feel you although i am not indian but a part of me is…. but thats another story :-) i completly understand what you are feeling i am currently reading the zahir… i’m loving it!

one
Marie