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… As I tread along the path halfway,
I do wonder if my heart shall cure or never it may.
But before dusk i hope to find a mead,
Where I can rest until again the sun leads…..
Never lose hope..
Wishing that everybody finds that his true wishes in life come true..
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This is an essay I wrote for my english class about Veils and its meaning. It just my opinion:
HIDDEN FACES, HIDDEN THINGS
Making a web search for definitions of the word Veil, I found that in a general way a veil is a sing, a symbol… an article of clothing, worn almost exclusively by women, that is intended to cover some part of the head or face. As a religious item a veil is a sing that intend to show honor to an object or space. But, as a sing or a symbol, its meaning goes beyond. Covering faces with a piece of clothes, for me it’s a sing of hidden things, maybe feelings or beliefs. Perhaps, it is a way for not to show people the person you really are.
In Muslims countries, women are forced by religion and culture to wear a veil. But, the question is: Why only women must wear it? Why they are punished and discredited if they don’t follow this prescription? In these countries, a veil has become in a symbol of the women’s lack of education and submissiveness. It’s the mark of the victims who don’t even have the right to appear in the figures or statistics. The veil they wear and the rules it supposed to them has ruined their lives, has turned them into invisible people, as if this should happen in this century.
In the article, the author says “Those who wear the veil deliberately set themselves apart”. She is talking about a group of woman who had made the choice of wearing a veil as a voluntary sing of their religion, their faith, their way of life and their roots, in my point of view. However the author’s view is different because she thinks the veil is a sing of intimidation and provocation. In her words “they are being immodest and invasive”. I think this is a very judgmental, negative, condemnatory and extreme appreciation. Maybe these literate and independent women want to give to the veil another meaning. Perhaps they want to use the veil as a sing of their own choices not the imposed ones. They want to think about the veil as an allied not as an enemy in the fight against the preservation of the human’s and women’s rights.
I’m sure that countries like France, one of the most out loud opponent of this kind of insignias, are right when they say they don’t want marks of separations in their societies and inequality between men and women. They want to preserve the fundamentals of modern civil society. As countries, they can use the law to exercise sovereignty and autonomy. I agree with that too. But, what’s the limit between a person’s right to exercise his religion and a country’s sovereignty?. I think it’s not that simple but if you live in somebody else’s country you have to follow the letter of the law. However, this kind of so extreme judgement, like the author’s, shouldn’t be made, not at all.
HEIDY GUERRERO FONTALVO
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I think we have to stop being apathetic. We have to stop relying and assuming the government, or some one else will do something. If you want something to change. Take a step - do something.
From the minute we are conceived we have an impact on this world through our parents. After we are born our impact becomes either negative or positive. We have a choice as to the type of impact we have. Lets make it a positive one.
I think we can all learn something from what you do, not just from your books, but from what you do with this blog - you give. You give food for thought, you give people an opportunity to have a voice, you give people opportunity to turn negative into positive, you give love.
Thank you Paulo.
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Marie christine , Marie-Christine
merveilleux !! merveilleux !!
tout cela est si vrai
que j’ai envie de vous embrasser
tant de réjouissance pour moi de voir tout cela sur ce blog
j’avais tant attendu , mais aujourd’hui je ne regrette pas d’avoir patienter , pour remplir mes yeux de bonheur , et aussi mon âme
merci , merci à tous
WONDERFULL!! WONDERFULL !!
All this is so true
That I want to kiss you
So much rejoicing for me to see all this on this blog
I had long-awaited, but today I do not regret having to wait, to fill my eyes of happiness, and also my soul
Thank you, thanks to all
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On russian Cristmas, on 7. janary, Europe is frosing. Serbia, on her Cristmas, too. Bicose of Ukraine.
Material interess or morality, it is the question now. Choice, again.
Oh, my Zaratustra…
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hello!
i want to post here the 8 principles i found to be the most useful for a happier life.A good friend of mine showed them at a conference and i am still grateful she did.They are called “The 8 Irresistible Principles of Fun”(these are the links you can find the video:http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=37339314220&oid=34832314653 or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB43N0v7Eh4 ):
1.Get focused. Stop hiding who you really are.take time to figure out what makes up your DNA.When it comes down to it,what do YOU stand for? “Always be a first-rate version of yourself,instead of being a second rate version of someone else”J.Garland
2.Start being intensely selfish.Get hungry for the things that are truly important to you.Think of the people you respect and love, the moments you relish,the impact you want to have,the legacy you want to leave.Don’t waste your time on anything else.
3.Be creative! Stop following the rules.With the exception of gravity,all the rules are negotiable,someone just makes them up. “If you obey all the rules,you will miss out on a lot of fun” K.Hepburn
4.Be Creative! Start scaring yourself. Explore your edges,dip your toe in the bold,the outrageous,and the unthinkable.Seek out and have adventures.
5.Use your wisdom.Stop taking all so damn seriously.In this moment,is it a life or death decision?In 10 years,will you remember what you were fretting about? In 100 years,will anyone care?So lighten up,this too will pass.” Don’t take life too seriously.You won’t get out of it alive” E.Hubbard.
6.Use your wisdom. Start getting rid of the crap.Think of all the stuff that’s weighting you down and getting in the way.Not just the things,the habits,the people,the memories,the attitudes.Get rid of that clutter. “Knowledge is the process of piling up facts.Wisdom lies in their simplification.”M.L.King.
7.Take action. Stop being busy. Being busy is seductive just because you are going flat out.Doesn’t mean you are on the right track.If it’s the wrong hole,stop digging. “We are lost,but we are making good time” Y.Berra
8.Take action. Start something.Don’t wait any longer for permission to do what you want to do.There are always reasons to procrastinate just a bit longer. Enough! Just start! “When all is said and done,there is a lot more said then done”L.Holtz.
These is just a relative transcript of the video. There are a lot more good things in the video,so you just have to watch it. Enjoy!
Source: http://www.roxanap.blogspot.com
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My dear Paulo Coelho, thank you for … dreaming and putting your dreams into action. This ‘place’ here, you have just created, is the heart of your Blog. Every one’s heart beating with the same rhythm, LOVE. This is the … Hive!
Thank you all, and Chryssa from Greece fot the beautiful poem.
Thank you Paul from Austria you made me smile again. Reading your post about not ‘allowing’ our men rule us, I remembered “Lysistrata” the famous, ancient comedy by Aristophanes.
Love,
Thelma
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Mr N ….
You comment made me cry, it touched me deeply.
I have been thrue a common situation once in my life and I now understand which courage it takes to love someone so much and tell them this, and then the most sad part is when we don´t recieve that love back.
We have to keep the faith that our true love comes when we are ready for it.
But I think it is a part of our path, to feel all the feelings we have: Happiness, sadness, love, hate, anger,joy, hope and so on.
Because how can we know what love is if love was all their is?
The opposite exists (I believe) so we have tried to feel hate for example, then go back to love.
Because hate makes us sick, drained from energy.
Because if you give hate that is what comes back to you.
If you give love that is what comes back to you.
And then we ask God (or what we believe in) for forgivness that we have hated and let him show the way to the light :-)
And Paul your comment also touched me deeply :-)
“Another message for all Mothers, don’t allow your Men to rule you, let alone rule the world, and turn the injustices of thousands of years… into a sea of love… a heaven on earth so to speak…”
I think it´s very important that women today take their power back and stand up for them self. But many years of injustice don´t change in one second, it´s a process, it takes time.
I´m fighting for my right in the society, to be the person I wan´t to be. Not what others expect me to be.
And another important thing is also that women don´t look at another women and try to put each other down.
Because if one have found their way and the other one is jealous and just try to put that person down again because they self are miserable.
We have to be a chain of giving and recieving, lift each ohter and support each other.
That also include men, they shouldn´t try to put the women down because they are afraid of strong women and they maybe think they loose their own power or something else.
Men also gain from independent and strong women, we can help each other to regain a healhty earth.
Love and courage
Jessica
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an excerpt from my blog…
And so it goes. We meet someone in life, someone we thought we’d spend the rest of our lives with, someone whom we trusted our deepest and darkest secrets with without the fear of being judged, someone who we thought would accept us for our being imperfect. Then all of a sudden they will break us into pieces, they will judge us for the secrets we have shared with them and use it against us. It’s funny how someone can love us because of a million things about us, then hate us just because of a single mistake. What’s worse is that these people won’t even bother to leave the pieces for us to put back together, we have to find them first before we can put it all back.
The great thing about this is that once we are whole again, we get to appreciate ourselves more. With the hardwork we put in finding and putting back the pieces together, the finished product is much more rewarding. And along the way of finding those shattered pieces of us, we meet someone, we experience something, and we continue to learn. When we’re finally whole again, we are still the same as what we were once before, only with a few added pieces to us.
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It’s 5:30 in the morning and it’s pretty much an early day for blogging since everyone in the house woke up early and they attended their daily routines so as to leaving me all alone here until I go to school.. Nope it’s not creepy to be alone even when it’s still dawn..
Anyways I got these three amazing books gifted to me over Christmas but I jut got ‘em yesterday because they wanted it to be a surprise and obviously I was really surprised it took them long to give me but Yeah! I’m so loving the books.. I got THe Last Lecture, Icy Sparks and another title I forgot about Christmas..
I just can’t help fussing about The Last Lecture after I got home and really read it because it’s awesomely good. Damn! It is! It made me cry from the first pages until maybe the 20 plus succeeding parts.. It made my eyes chink at this very hour. It’s basically about a computer professor in the Carnegie Mellon University who’s dying because of pancreatic cancer and he’s only got three months to live when he wrote the book and gave his last lecture in that university.And he was leaving his adorable wife, three very young kids and the oldest is three, how crappy is that?.. Putting my feet in his shoes, It was really hard to absorb knowing that your kids would grow up and forevermore you’ll become estranged to them and how unfair is that to live a life and just be jolted with a border line which says you’re just until there whatever things you need to accomplish, it’s never going to happen because you’re almost the end. Very gripping. Not that I really felt every inch of what he’s trying and meaning to say because I had that fear of being there or maybe having cancer because at some point God just gave me something very humbling that slowed me down, totally, imagining that hello! Im just 16 years old and I’ve got too much to live for not that Im dying but because I was just unlucky like that professor in Carnegie Mellon who’s an injured lion and still wants to roar..=(
And by the swooshing of 2009, classes just started yesterday and we’ll be making a research paper and we’re pretty much free to choose any topic we wanted and I just realized that I’ve been really wanting to study, I mean deeply study about this thing although it could really be sensitive but I just think it’s a way of understanding people, love and life. So if I’m going to research on that, my topic would probably be The Effects of A Manly Presence in the Growth of a Child. I mean the difference when kids have a father and the others who don’t. I have this friend who didn’t experience to have that manly presence and there were times when she’s really hard to understand and her character was very puzzling and very hard to figure out. And I asked if it’s cool with her that that would be my study and she said Yes, apart from my resources would just be around the corner because of close friends. Not to mention that there are other factors why kids never experience to have a father just like that professor who’s about to die and literally just months ago he died and that story is non-fiction.
But I also have another topic that’s in my mind, the difference between kids who are raised by a hands-on-mom or a career-oriented mom, I mean which mom raises the better kid..
I’m still making up my mind which is which..
But I have to go since it’s almost 6..
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Hay Paulo. Thanks to give us the chance to post my personal writings. I like to write very much. Many of my writings are poems, some are short stories for adult n children, n others are about interesting issue of children, specially in psychological point of view (for I’m a child psychologist).
Here are a poem that recently I made.
Once Upon A Time
Once upon a time
I had a place that I called home
It filled with people I knew
People that had same interest as I
Its the place where my soul grew
The place to share with
The place of love
As I grew
I learn that I have many homes of interests
That made me realize that the world is larger than I had been imagined before
As I grew
I learn to see things differently as the people, once I called my family
I learn to see things differently
I learn to set priorities
Learn to let go
Learn to see&accept that some stays
some must go
As I grew
I learn to see things in many aspects
through different point of view
As I grew
I have different opinions about many things
Things that I once loved n be my most of all above anything
became the last priority of life
I learn to put many things that once I adored so much
Learn to live realistically
Cos life change
That’s the only thing constant in life
Change
There will another ‘Once upon a time…’ in the future
When I’ll see over my shoulder
n maybe give a big grin
or teared apart
I dont know yet
But
I learn
My “Once upon a time…”
Has mold me into who I am now
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A question I have asked so
Many times…
What is “Peace”?
And I get the same answers…
Absence of war, lack of violence
Not fearing for your safety,
And not just because you survived this time
you are lucky.
Peace is something we all want,
But we are not sure what it means…
We all try to define it, but it lies
somewhere in between.
Peace of mind, Peace of heart…
Or just the absence of the fear
That is threatening to tear you apart.
A word everyone is demanding,
But no one knows how to achieve it.
May it be through protests, riots or war.
But is that really what we are looking for?
I dare to say no.
———————————————————-
For more, go to walaahamdan.wordpress.com
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a very simple thought, early that morning…
as i´m watching some clowds passing by, while having breakfast, i just thought - those clowds are not just part of the wind, they ARE the wind. so if life is the wind, i´d like to be the clowd.
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WOW!!! GREAT IDEA I’M LOVING IT. AWESOME ;)
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Thank you for offering this space Paulo!
Hello Everyone,
Please join the Facebook Event: ‘The Daily Peace Ripple’ being hosted by ‘The Happiest Day of Your Life’ group at:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/event.php?eid=113031875570
Would you like to participate in an effort to raise the consciousness of our planet?
We have heard the saying that “world peace begins with inner peace”. Would you like to apply this knowledge in your daily life, along with thousands of others around the world?
There is now scientific evidence that supports the theory that the square root of 1% of a population has an effect on the consciousness of the whole. The square root of 1% of the population of the world is 8,000 people.
This is an invitation to consciously MAKE YOURSELF PEACEFUL FOR 3 - 5 MINUTES EVERYDAY at precisely 3:00 pm and/or 9:00 pm GMT. The intention is that before April 6th 2009 (three months from today) a minimum of 8,000 people will be a part of the “Daily Peace Ripple” at exactly the same time.
Please sign up ONLY if you really intend to participate, NOT just because you like the idea. Take the pledge seriously and honestly try to do it daily. It might also help to make a note in your dairy or set an alarm in your watch or phone that reminds you to be peaceful at these times.
How to be peaceful? You can use a gentle smile, silent prayer, breath meditation, feelings of love and gratitude, a guided meditation, uplifting music or any other process that works to calm and center yourself.
Each of us is like a living cell of our living Mother Planet. As we become peaceful, the world also becomes peaceful.
Please invite your friends to attend this worthy cause!
Convert Daily Peace Ripple Time # 1 (3:00pm GMT) to your local time here:
http://www.snipurl.com/dailyripple1
Convert Daily Peace Ripple Time # 2 (9:00pm GMT) to your time zone here:
http://www.snipurl.com/dailyripple2
“Daily Peace Ripple” Meditation (6 mins):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIvMgbXooVg
A compelling video on the Science of Miracles (9 mins):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw_mDZiJQlI
Summary of Research on Square Root of One Percent:
http://www.dubrovnik-peace-project.cro.net/sci/maharishi_effect.htm
The ONLY way to reach 8,000 people is if YOU take a few minutes to
INVITE ALL YOUR FRIENDS:
http://www.facebook.com/editevent.php?guests&eid=113031875570
Peace,
Administrator
‘The Happiest Day of Your Life’
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Thank you, Paulo.
Whenever there has been total chaos I have been drawn there. As if led on a string that’s been pulled in. The last time was right after 9/11, I remember. Something leading one to the worn stone, the serenity, the “removed from this world” pace at the Prince of Wales (POWales) Museum.
I take the local train, second class. The girl sitting by has a letter from the Economic Offences Wing, someone has taken away their power of attorney and taken a loan on their flat. The girl sitting opposite commutes for an hour and half all 365 days, or something close to it- she’s a cook at four homes. Nothing like a train trip to shake me out of my ivory tower existence in a hurry.
I loiter. I am drawn, as I knew I’d be, to the Indian sculpture gallery, the displays from Taxila and Mirpur-khas in particular, mostly 2-5 C AD. I spend an hour there, easily. I find what I’m looking for.
Read more: http://austereseeker.blogspot.com
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That’s a pleasure to write/respond here. Anyway, a small passage from my blog:
One’s prayer can never be answered with keeping the fear and surrounded by cruel thoughts – which are being ignored.
Pretending of being spiritual and praying for happiness; and at same time keeping oneself wrapped by greed, revenge, fear and evil wishes is the height of stupidity. Those people have hundred of reasons to say themselves that they are right, while they are not. And, in turn without knowing the reason they loose something of their own and get trapped in sorrow and unhappiness. The prayers went to evil when someone has desire to harm and disgrace anyone, just because they believe.
The big truth of universe is: You are what you wanted to be, you feared from love, you will be cursed, you hate life and life will hate you. And, you give love without fear, you will be loved back! You are the only reason where you are, what you are and what do you have!
Aamen!!
http://nourishpeace.blogspot.com/
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As I listened to this song (Enrique Iglesias’ Hero), I wondered if there ever is gonna be my hero. I grew up as a kid with no hero. I get into trouble, I rescue myself. I scratch my knee, I bawl but then I keep my wounded knee from the elders…and it heals by itself. The thing is that I’ve never had a dilemma that was bigger than what I can solve. I grew up never needing a hero.
That was until I got my heart wounded. The very first time it happened, I was devastated. I couldn’t understand the pain. It was so deep within that I can feel it in my core and I just can’t take it to the surface. I can’t throw it away. It was within me…And you wouldn’t believe who broke my heart first. It was my father. Isn’t it that he was supposed to be my first hero? He was supposed to be my Superman. My Santa Clause. He was supposed to watch me grow up, but he didn’t and I just couldn’t understand why.
The truth is that I just don’t want anyone to be my hero because the moment they do, they just disappoint me. People come into my life and one by one, I watch them fall short of my expectations. Yes, people do things for me but there wasn’t a thing they did that I couldn’t do. What I wanted and needed for them to do is just to be here for me…to just let me need them.
But no one ever let me. They all taught me how to be strong enough to be on my own. It isn’t bad to be strong but it feels bad when everyone just expects you to be OK when you aren’t. It feels so bad when you want to need someone but you can’t because you know there’s just no one around.
Some of the people who know me might say I’m just being silly and that I shouldn’t feel this thing that I’m feeling,blah blah blah…They just don’t understand. They just won’t because they’ve never been in my place. I remember someone telling me that I have everything I could ever wish for…but come to think of it, if I had someone, why would I ever write about it here?
OK. Perhaps I wasn’t really born to be a weakling but would it hurt if I had someone to take me away from the pain of the past? Is there really a hero out there?
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Dear Chrissa,
Your post is absolutely wonderful and makes the point perfectly…
“The World of Tomorrow depends entirely upon how we treat the Children of Today!” (if this ever appears in a book of quotes, please be so kind as to make a note that it was made by me!)
I have said this so many times, and I will continue to say it until the whole world hears, understands & implements my ideology.
Another message for all Mothers, don’t allow your Men to rule you, let alone rule the world, and turn the injustices of thousands of years… into a sea of love… a heaven on hearth so to speak…
Love, your children & respect their values, Paul
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Cher Paulo,
J’ai deux projets qui me tiennent a coeur et je veux vous en faire part.
“Mon cirque du Soleil”
Comment je le vois et pourquoi
Il est rempli de lumiere, d’inspiration et de magie,
Si je ne pousse pas la porte, je ne vais jamais savoir ce qu’il y a de l’autre cote, ce que je vais trouver,
C’est soit oui, soit non,
J’ai le sens de l’aventure,
Je merite ma place au soleil,
L’amitie ca se cultive et c’est important,
Parce qu’il vaut mieux rire que pleurer,
Il vaut mieux donner que recevoir,
C’est un choix,
Because I am much, much more than that.
Ce que j’ai fait
J’ai fait une liste des choses que j’aimais et que je n’aimais pas.
Je me suis rendue compte, que oui, j’avais du talent.
J’ai fait quelque chose pour moi.
La veille de Noel, je suis allee faire les magasins rien que pour me faire plaisir - une heure de pur bonheur -
Avec mes $30 en poche, j’ai achete mon petit “gadget”, un tong pour $3.95, un sous-vetement en soldes $9.95 et un nouveau savon de “papaya et Chai tea - Cout $9.00 - gift-wrapped and all -
J’ai absorbe l’atmosphere de Noel au maximum - a part of that time was spent watching the children having their photograph taken with Father Christmas.
Ce matin, je suis allee marcher et j’ai repris contact avec la nature.
Parmi mes talents, je peux enumerer les suivants :
J’aime parler…..et puis j’en ai des choses a dire ouh! la la….J’ai une opinion sur beaucoup de sujets….
Je suis douee pour les langues - je peux lire l’italien et le portuguais sur ce blog - ca c’est interessant -
J’aime la musique
J’adore lire et voyager,
Je pense que je ferais un bon psychologue,
I like to do the Kumi-E, a Japanese hand-made torn collage. I like to make my own cards too.
I like to learn calligraphy. Japanese art appeals to me in general, they teach you patience and I need that.
Mental illness is where I want to focus my energy.
I have a good sense of humour. It just occurred to me that having a good sense of humour can hide a lot of pain behind, however, is also a way towards recovery.
I know my motives are not based on financial gains, when you love to do something, it never is. I have experienced it on many occasions and am familiar with voluntary work.
Following your intuition is what allows you to get in touch with yourself and your creativity.
When you combine your thoughts with your intuition, miracles happen.
You are connecting with your higher self. Albert Einstein describes this beautifully:
“I will do a flight of fantasy and work on some thinking, which is not thinking as you would understand it, but a combinatorial play of some types of imageries and sensory feeling. (Feminine Energy)
Only when this activity comes to some resolution,would I fumble in the other side of my head for words and algebraic statements which would permit me to communicate these insight to others.(masculine Energy) Albert Einstein.
Take risks -
Please get in the game because that is what life is all about.
When you are playing you get all the benefits - sometimes you win, sometimes you loose - You learn and grow, no matter what.
Intuition is a very powerful tool that allows you to communicate with other people without having to utter a word from one side of the planet to another.
What I now understand -
You have to love yourself in order to love others
You are your own best friend.
You are with you all your life and no one knows you better than yourself.
Love your own body and take good care of it.
Eat well, learn to breathe and exercise.
You cannot compare yourself with somebody else.
When you do that, you have a reaction and your ego takes over.
When you communicate with your heart you are in the moment, where the action is.
The text that did it for me -
La milanesia : on the four elements and its importance.
“Fire brings motion
Air brings ascension,
Earth bringing the notion of centrality,
Water bringing fluidity.” Paulo Coelho
Earth = your origins, your roots
Fire = Passion, energy
Air = mind, intellect
Water = feelings, love
The four elements help you to connect with your inner-self.
La necessite de connaitre notre histoire (la terre de nos ancetres), le pivot central, l’essence du “feu” pour injecter la passion avec l’energie et son pouvoir et lorsque les quatre elements fonctionnent ensemble…quel potentiel! You know…..the stuff that dreams are made of….
I understood then by not knowing where I was coming from (Earth element) the “notion of centrality”P.Coelho, that I was missing an important link -without it you are not functioning at your optimal- At the same time, I also understood that there comes a time in your life where you have to draw the line and say “Enough is enough”, to accept it and move on.
Il y a une E-card sur votre site, Paulo, qui dit “Aucun homme n’est une ile.” J’ai pris du temps avant de comprendre sa signification.
Aujourd’hui, je viens poser mon casque de “guerrier de la lumiere” pour vous demander votre assistance en tant que personne qui peut influencer deux de mes projets.
I am well aware that one person on their own cannot change anything.
That is why I am asking for your support in a shift of consciousness.
I believe that what I wrote on your blog can be made into an International song and want to know if you will endorse this.
Dans les semaines qui viennent, le Cirque du Soleil reprendra ses tournees autour du monde et nous aurons la chance de l’accueillir dans notre ville pour la joie de tous les petits et les grands.
In my letter addressed to them, I wrote :”I believe the way things are going these days are not working. A new way of educating need to be put in place,through a shift in consciousness.
I believe as itinerants, you could also contribute to that.”
By passing the message across through an international song.This is what I have in mind, Paulo and I would like to know what are your thoughts on that, please.
I concluded by saying ” We want “more allegria” (Joy), not misery.”
Here is the translation in French of the text I wrote
L’ecole de la vie
Elle est la pour te faire avancer au-dela,
Elle est enfouie au plus profond de toi - ton ame -
Les mots ne sont pas toujours necessaires,
Elle va au-dessus de ca,
Elle est comme une “promesse” qui rend les enfants joyeux,
Elle nous rassure et nous console,
Elle nous enseigne le travail de la discipline et de croire en nous,
Elle change nos obsessions en force,
Elle est remplie d’humanite,
Elle est internationale,
Elle rompt toutes les barrieres - religieuses, ages, races et gendres -
Elle est la pour partager et communiquer,
C’est une guerre avec une difference,
C’est la bataille contre la verite,
Elle est robuste,
Elle est remplie de sagesse,
Elle appelle les choses par leur nom : le bon sens,
Elle nous enseigne l’appreciation dans les plus petites besognes,
Elle est simple et profondement satisfaisante,
C’est l’essence meme de notre existence,
C’est “toi” en cours de developpement,
C’est un cadeau qui est apprecie,
C’est l’ecole de la vie,
C’est un examen de conscience delicieux,
C’est un engagement..
The school of life,
It is there to push you forward and beyond,
It digs deep down to the core of the matter - Your soul -
It does not need any words - it goes beyond that -
It is cosy,
It is like a “promise” that makes a child happy,
It is re-assuring and comforting,
It teaches you discipline tasks and to believe in yourself,
It turns around your obsessions into strengths,
It is humane,
It is international,
It breaks all barriers - religions, ages,races and genders,
It is a different kind of war,
It is the battle against the truth,
It is tough,
It is full of wisdom,
It is plain common sense,
It teaches you appreciation in the smallest task,
It is simple and very fulfilling,
It is the essence of being,
It is you in the making,
It is a gift that is appreciated,
It is the school of life,
It is a soul-searching delight,
It is a commitment,
It deserves our attention.
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Cancer and its ramifications, particularly mental illness is an area where I want to focus my energy on more.
The problem is very significant to alert us to be more pro-active due to the endemic proportion it is taking all around the world.
In my opinion, the fear and the stigma attached to mental illness have to be lifted and view differently by the outside world and the medical profession.
I believe my experience can benefit the scientific world in a positive outcome that will be beneficial to the patients and informative to the General Public.
I support the work and research by Pr David Servan-Schreiber in the psychiatric field as well as the cancer one.
As a member of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, Paulo, you might be willing to take this subject and want to support that research.
I have to admit, I am not really sure how to go about it and am seeking your opinion to see if such a project can be undertaken.
True, I have made a lot of mistakes along the way and I will continue to do so.
It has well been worth the challenge though.
This experience has taught me to have faith in humanity ….and that my opinion is as valid as any other one.
I am proud of what I have achieved and am looking forward to the future with more energy and enthusiasm.
….and if that path does not work, there is always the “camino”.
Merci, Paulo, pour votre patience et votre bonne humeur qui me permettent toujours de garder le sourire aux levres.
Passez une bonne journee.
Love,
Marie-Christine
[Reply]
I wanted to share a small poem penned by me on the New Year’s Eve
If
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If I was a gardener,
I would have cleared the weeds of envy and egocentricity
If I was an artist,
I would have wiped out the colors of rues and miseries
If I was a firefighter,
I would have never extinguished a spark called hope
If I was a mason,
I would have laid the bricks of education, empowerment and enrichment
If I was a teacher,
I would have never taught the words synonymous to corruption
If I was a writer,
I would have effaced terrorism from my readers’ minds
If I was a politician,
I would have strived to build a Utopia in my country
Alas, I am just another programmer
Designing her software called Life to match the entire IF conditions
[Reply]