In one of your interviews, you have said, that you write for yourself, trying to answer some questions you have asked yourself. What was the question you tried to answer while writing your novel, The Devil and Miss Prym ?
Are we good because we are good, or are we good because temptation never tried us?
Today’s Question by Aart Hilal
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Interesting question, Aart Hilal.
There are many sides to it, but no concrete answer, in my opinion.
Why didn’t miss Prym share the gold with some other young people of the village? I find her quite egoistic in the end.
Dear Rosarocks,
I’m curious… why did you answer the question, that actually was just an example of what it might be?
The book itself, I think, gave us an answer already, doesn’t it?
?
love
Agnieszka
Dear Agnieszka,
My answer is to both. I quote a teacher of mine
“the mind can build up all kinds of stories about the sensations, and cravings,but instead of getting caught up in the story line, just look at them as words coming trough the mind, without your having to believe them.
Then you start to see that if you cling to a particular story line, you make the pain worse.
So in the case of this obsession,you can run with it, but you always have the choice to drop it and liberate yourself
You don’t have to think it. When you step back and watch the commentary as you would something curious say “why would I believe that?”. It’s not the movie I want to see. You are not missing anything if you don’t follow it through to the end.
teacher~Geoffrey DeGraff~The Abbot,Metta Forest Monastery,California
He is great!
Cheers, rasarocks
We are good, maybe because we are bad.
Maybe as some do rectify their nasty behaviour, to besome really good.
Even in jail, the temptation can try us; by thoughts.
This reminds me of an anecdote about my mother. My mother raised me as a single mother in Communist Cuba. It was difficult to find food as it was not available in the regular supermarkets. She had to go to the interior of the country and buy food directly from the farmers, of course this was illegal and it was also dangerous. Since transportation was also hard to get, she would have to hitchhike with anyone that would stop to pick her up and was willing to carry contraband merchandise. So you can imagine the rumors about her reputation, being in cars or trucks with strange men, but the people that know her knew that she was an honest woman and I have nothing to reproach her. She worked hard as a beautician and made enough money to pay for the food and for the rides with cash and not in any other form of payment. Her aunt a very wise woman, once told her “You are the most honest woman I know, it is easy to be good when you sitting pretty at home and don’t have to go out and struggle for the things you need, but it takes a real honest woman to go out there face all the dangerous, men’s passes (which there were plenty, she was young and attractive) and keep your honor.” I think this is what Paolo refers to as Temptation. Sometimes it’s easy to take the easy way out, but it’s more worth it to take the “road less traveled”.
Dear Walaa,
I think that the question may be:
Where this obsession of the man can take him; can it drive him mad or can it liberate him?
love
Agnieszka
by temptation trying me I found out that there was a part of me that was not good (and i needed to change that about myself) I have also found out that goodness resides inside of me also always willing to prevail even when I have failed at temptation! I enjoyed the The Devil and Miss Prym because it helped me open up and see the side of me that was not good but willing to change.
Thank you
marie
Dear Paulo..
I just finished reading the Zahir, and all i can think about, is what was the answer you tried to answer in writing it?
Thank you & Love,
Walaa
I think I am good because temptation never has tried me , its also a Leo I think because we are loyal souls .But at heart I am a good person with compassion , trust and I have been genuineally happy with out taking any detours or diversions.But as the saying goes never say never ….Blessings Tania
That’s a good question!
:-)
It is also a very hard question, because unless we experience the real temptation, we might not know.
Although when you look at the a person, you might….guess, whether he/she is capable of doing something bad, whether she/he has values in her/his life, whether he/she is behaving according to her/his heart or there are different issues involved.
Her/His character might give you a little bit of a clue; whether she/he is prone to temptations, even the little ones, or is she/he stable about his/her actions in life.
Of course there might come moments, situations, when even the best in heart might do something wrong.
Nevertheless…
I really believe that… everybody is…good, deep inside,
but… because of our first sin, we are also have this bad side of us,
so if we do not control it, if we let ourselves follow the temptation, it will take an adventage of us.
Everything depends on whether we surrender to it or fight with it, and that takes both the mind and the heart.
The heart will tell you, what is good, and the mind will help you to execute the right decision, if you control it.
I heard something I really like:
“Devil is the intelligence without love”
YES…
Devil can never get into your heart!, because he is afraid of….love,
and love… lives inside the heart,
he can only get into your head if…. you let it.
So, if you listen….to your heart….
you’re safe.
:-)
lots of love
Agnieszka
I’m good because I’m good:)… I’ve been tempted plenty;)