It’s not easy being a human being, and we’re not capable to rule everything in life. A fatalistic belief can be helpful. But you say everybody can influence their own destiny. What was it in your own life that convinced you?
The absolute conviction that my life would be meaningless if I didn’t go after my dream: being a writer.
This happened to me when I was locked away in an asylum when I was a teenager. I had two choices back then: to convince myself that I was crazy and therefore step out of the world, or to fight for my place in the world. I choose the toughest : life.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
WELL I JUST KNW DAT LIFE IS PUZZLE…. U KEEP PLAYING BT STILL PUZZLE B UNSOLVED N WEN U TRY 2 SOLVE ITS JUST MESS UP EVERYTHNG IN DIFFERENT WAYS.. SO IT SEEMS WE CNT LEAVE DIS PUZZLE UNSOLVED NEITHER WE CN SOLVE IT… D GAME JUST GOES ON… SMETIMES IT GIVES HAPPINESS N MANY A TIMES IT JUST MAKES U CRY.. LIFE IS NT DAT EASY THNG… 2 LIVE LIFE IT NEEDS COURAGE N CONFIDENCE.. 4 ME LIFE IS HARD ,CRUEL…! LIFE JUST KEEPS PLAYING AS IF WE R PUPPET.. I HAD GONE THRU HELL BT STIL WANT 2 KNW ABT DIS HARD N CRUEL LIFE SO IM JUST LIVING ON…. VERY VERY PUZZLED LIFE..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Awww, Paulo! you are an extraordinary individual. You’ve kept my spirits up and have helped me believe. Life is difficult and some have it harder then others. I dont know how to answer your question what i know is that I have to keep my head above the water b/c i want to live and get past that which sucks the life and soul out of me. I want to live, just having a hard time knowing how?!
much love, respect, and blessings..
Dear Paul from Austria,
It is exactly for the things that you wrote to defend Aart I reacted on his question.
I am from Croatia and my mother language definitly is not English ! Reading between the lines does not change what his question implies !
Wish you love, joy and happiness
Luce
I see you really are a strong man.One thing is hard for me to understand.How can be parents so blind?And I am curious,hoping to not offend,how could you forgive your parents for that episode?I think was tough for you,but this is a good example one can change destiny .
Dear Paulo,
Thank you for this brief note. Living a life is a choice, so tough and so easy, living each moment after moment, realising breath and the times when you feel breathless.It’s tough to decide where we lead to- life or death. Between the birth and death, there is only one thing comes truly vibrating i.e. Life. It’s always suggested; do what you enjoy.
“Karmanye vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachan
Ma karmaphalhetubhurma te sakhshoshtavkarmani” (Srimad Bhagwad Gita)
“The secret of my life is to create, take action, without any expectation of results. That is the best reward. I am allowed to practice my skills in the open fields of life. That is the greatest of all rewards.”
yes I believe we can influence our own destiny,we can give up like Paulo said or fight for our dreams -live life alive ..and discover marvels which we could only imagine .
I always trust in God that no matter what happens – God steers and guides me in the right direction .And we are all also children of God -made by love -desire, to love and desire .Blessings Tania
Dear Paulo,
I so agree with you and with Thelma, I do not agree with question !
Aart,
Why should we be capable to rule everything in life ?
And if we can not it does not necesarily mean that human being is not easy to be !
Fatalistic belief can not be helpful, not in long run. It can only mislead you and make you stop fighting !
and
dear Heart,
it might be that all Universe helped Paulo and assisted him in his work, on his path,
but
it is him Paulo Coelho who never gave up, who choose to be what he is now, no compromise with fate, destily, etc…
Yes Paulo,
you are great good teacher, and fighter, and Warrior of the Light.
I thank you with all my heart, for teasing us all with your daily questions, asking us questions, sometimes we do not want to ask ourselves !
Love,
Luce
Choosing life is indeed the toughest path to take… i agree.
To give up is to listen to a very seductive lullaby right…
A return to fight for me was not an immediate response.. it has taken some time to reconstruct my confidence, self belief, rationality et al after a decade of depression…
however, at every stage along the way when i felt discouraged, there was always a sign that i believe would just be enough to remind me – sometimes through humour, sometimes as a joke, of the true nature of my heart and soul… which in turn brought stronger faith and gradual healing…
i always just wanted a real, true chance to love and shine for my family…. and this steered me, as a rudder, through the abyss..
And as for my career… the deep passion which grows through the work renews my goals still to follow my dream(s). As that certainty remains and grows, then my happiness and will also is sustained and expanded.
And yes… also I became more aware of guardians and, after illness, of the depth of love.
To do anything else would not be meaningless… but would it be faithful or honest to who I am or what life presents as possible for human beings?
The fear of not growing is that which presents immediate chills!!!
To fear is, for me, often in contradiction to compassionate intentions concerning love and family.
I admire those who have followed their dreams, however, I also admire those – more so – who are aware that their dreams were lost, yet they have carved a life out of something which is more meaningful in some respects than a personal dream.
Thank you.
Paulo,
Your success is beyond what anybody could possibly imagine one person could achieve in life. As you have said many times, all the powers in the universe must have assisted you. You know we love your books. Also, we realize you are so much, much more than your written works. Yes, you keep insisting that being a writer was the only right thing for you. I cannot but think, if your path had been different, you would have been the most fantastic father in the world too, or the most wonderful priest ever. There is no doubt, what you are today, has cost you many sacrifices. And the biggest question to me always is, am I where the Lord want me to be? Yes, we should love what we do. Even though I wouldn’t see love as a duty, but as the most precious feeling we have. We have shared broken dreams, Thelma and I, which doesn’t necessarily mean we have failed life or ourselves. A human life has so many dreams, and each person is so important, exactly being where one is. What I am trying to say is, every little step in my life has been meaningful, and in the end, everything fall into place. The life’s puzzle, so valuable. The extreme thing the Lord has asked some, was for Abraham to have to sacrifice his son, or for Jesus to get crucified. Of course, they didn’t love to do something that painful. However, they trusted the Lord’s chose, and nobody can blame them for lacking courage, or for taking the wrong path. I agree we should not listen to parents if they don’t support our own convictions. But we should listen to God, if He/She has a different plan for us than we ourselves do. I see often people advancing spiritually, have to go through life and face many failures before the wonderful triumph. And I’m not talking about external success, but inner ecstasy, of union in a love beyond anything we have ever encountered. For when we meet God face to face, we will die, be it metaphorically or for real.
God Bless us all,
Heart
Dear Paulo Coelho, I love you for being a brave fighter and a WINNER.
LOVE,
THELMA