Monthly Archive for July, 2007Page 4 of 8

The carp learns to grow

Published
by
Paulo Coelho
on July 18, 2007
in Stories
. 14 Comments

By Paulo Coelho

The Japanese carp or koi has the natural ability to grow according to the size of its environment. Thus, in a small tank, it usually grows to no more than five to seven centimetres, but if placed in a lake, it can grow to three times that size.

In the same way, people tend to grow according to their environment, although we are not talking here about physical characteristics, but about emotional, spiritual and intellectual development.

While the carp is obliged, for its own well-being, to accept the limits of its world, we are free to set the boundaries of our own dreams. If we are a bigger fish than the tank in which we were bred, instead of adapting to it, we should go in search of the ocean, even if the initial adaptation period proves uncomfortable and painful.

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Conversation with Paulo Coehlo by Israel Mlambo

Published
by
Paulo Coelho
on July 18, 2007
in News
. 0 Comments

Not exactly answered my ‘direct’ question wherein I asked at which point does one stop being nice and becoming a doormat or laughing stock - this was regarding the degree of tolerance one must reserve especialy when interacting with others. Nevertheless, Coelho’s message is insightful (probably because I’m a fan). See Paulo Coehlo’s response below and my email request …

To read Paulo’s answer, please visit Israel’s blog.

The mother giraffe makes her child suffer

Published
by
Paulo Coelho
on July 17, 2007
in Stories
. 5 Comments

By Paulo Coelho

The giraffe gives birth standing up, so the first thing that happens to a new-born giraffe is a fall of about two metres.

Still dazed, the baby tries to stand up on its four legs, but its mother behaves very strangely: she gives the baby giraffe a gentle kick which sends it sprawling. It tries to get up and is again knocked down.

This process is repeated several times, until the new-born giraffe is too exhausted to stand. At that point, the mother kicks it again, forcing it to get to its feet. After that, she does not push the baby giraffe over again.

The explanation is simple: in order to survive predators, the first lesson a giraffe must learn is to get to its feet quickly. The mother’s apparent cruelty finds support in an Arabic proverb: ‘Sometimes, in order to teach something good, you have to be a little rough.’

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This song always in my mind

Published
by
Paulo Coelho
on July 17, 2007
in News and Youtube
. 3 Comments

Alchemy by defenestrated

Published
by
Paulo Coelho
on July 17, 2007
in News and Youtube
. 3 Comments

I love Paulo Coelho so very dearly. Watch him teach us something.

Please visit defenestrated’s blog @blogspot : muttering in a corner to watch more videos and read the rest of the article.

The elephant and the rope

Published
by
Paulo Coelho
on July 16, 2007
in Stories
. 9 Comments

By Paulo Coelho

This is the procedure adopted by circus trainers to ensure that elephants never rebel - and I suspect that it is also what happens with a lot of people.

When still a baby, the elephant is tethered by a very thick rope to a stake firmly hammered into the ground. The elephant tries several times to get free, but it lacks the strength to do so.

After a year, the stake and the rope are still strong enough to keep a small elephant tethered, although it continues to try, unsuccessfully, to get free. At this point, the animal realises that the rope will always be too strong and so it gives up.

When it reaches adulthood, the elephant can still remember how, for a long time, it had wasted its energies trying to escape captivity. At this stage, the trainer can tether the elephant with a slender thread tied to a broom handle, and the elephant will make no attempt to escape to freedom.

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Veronika Decides To Die by Andrea

Published
by
Paulo Coelho
on July 16, 2007
in News
. 0 Comments

I polished off this quick read in two days on the beach. I initially picked it up as one of the “buy two, get one free” deal at Barnes and Noble, mainly because I liked Coelho’s other book, “The Alchemist.” This book takes place over approximately one week, and begins with the main character, Veronika, attempting suicide. Her reasons aren’t extraordinary; she’s not seriously depressed (although some would argue that she must be in order to try to kill herself), she hasn’t had any recent crises, she’s young, attractive, employed, sociable. She simply feels that her life has become stagnant, and suicide is her solution. She takes four packs of sleeping pills, one by one, and drifts into a coma from which she awakens days later to find that she’s not dead, but in a mental hospital. She’s told by the head physician that her heart was severely damaged while she was in the coma, and that she has less than a week to live. Despite being given medicine to “prolong” her life, she experiences several attacks and symptoms of heart failure during the ensuing days. The book shows how this information affects not only Veronika, but several of the other patients as well, and clarifies the differences in the realities of the “sane” and those of the “insane.” I appreciated the progression of events and character development as each person evolved, and found the story not depressing, but uplifting.

Parts of this book were inspired by actual events in Coelho’s life. He was in a mental hospital three times in the sixties, and while he never wrote directly about them, this was his way of incorporating his experiences into a book.

Netflix rating? 4/5 stars.

This Article’s written by Andrea. Please, visit Steph and Andrea’s blog to read more from them.

The prayer that I forgot

Published
by
Paulo Coelho
on July 13, 2007
in Stories
. 19 Comments

By Paulo Coelho

I was out walking one day in São Paulo, when a friend - Edinho - handed me a pamphlet entitled Sacred Moment. Printed in four colours, on excellent paper, with no mention of any particular church or religion, this pamphlet bore only a prayer on its reverse side.

Imagine my surprise when I saw the name of the author of this prayer - ME! It had been published in the early eighties on the inside cover of a book of poetry. I did not think it would stand the test of time, nor that it would return to my hands in such a mysterious way; but when I re-read it, I did not feel ashamed of what I had written.

Because it appeared in that pamphlet and because I believe in signs, I felt it only right to reproduce it here. I hope it encourages every reader to write a prayer of their own, asking for themselves and for others the things that they judge to be most important. That way we place a positive vibration in our heart which touches everything around us.

Here is the prayer:

Lord, protect our doubts, because Doubt is a way of praying. It is Doubt that makes us grow because it forces us to look fearlessly at the many answers that exist to one question. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect our decisions, because making Decisions is a way of praying. Give us the courage, after our doubts, to be able to choose between one road and another. May our YES always be a YES and our NO always be a NO. Once we have chosen our road, may we never look back nor allow our soul to be eaten away by remorse. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect our actions, because Action is a way of praying. May our daily bread be the result of the very best that we carry within us. May we, through work and Action, share a little of the love we receive. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect our dreams, because to Dream is a way of praying. Make sure that, regardless of our age or our circumstances, we are capable of keeping alight in our heart the sacred flame of hope and perseverance. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, give us enthusiasm, because Enthusiasm is a way of praying. It is what binds us to the Heavens and to Earth, to grown-ups and to children, it is what tells us that our desires are important and deserve our best efforts. It is Enthusiasm that reaffirms to us that everything is possible, as long as we are totally committed to what we are doing. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect us, because Life is the only way we have of making manifest Your miracle. May the earth continue to transform seeds into wheat, may we continue to transmute wheat into bread. And this is only possible if we have Love; therefore, do not leave us in solitude. Always give us Your company, and the company of men and women who have doubts, who act and dream and feel enthusiasm, and who live each day as if it were totally dedicated to Your glory.

Amen

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