How to tear down walls?

by Paulo Coelho on February 16, 2009

So we are here at Checkpoint Charlie (Berlin). Twenty years ago there was a wall here. Unfortunately there’s still another type of wall separating people. So my question this week is: how can we tear down this wall called “the clash of civilizations”?

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{ 147 comments… read them below or add one }

Jackie noriega July 30, 2011 at 8:38 pm

SOLO CON AMOR Y LIBERTAD PODEMOS DERIVAR LOS MUROS QUE NOS RODEAN CADA UNO DE NOSOTROS DEBEMOS SIEMPRE LUCHAR POR NUESTROS SUEÑOS E IDEALES Y TALVEZ ASI ALGUN DIA PODREMOS VERNOS TODOS IGUALES Y LUCHANDO POR EL MISMO IDEAL QUE SERIA CUIDAR LA NATURALEZA PARA QUE MAS HUMANOS PUEDAN DISFRUTAR DE LA CREACION DE NUESTRO DIOS

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Lea March 4, 2011 at 5:23 am

I know what that’s mean breaking the wall, is releated to your own soul. People experienced a tragedy in their life and it’s really hard to cope with it, being trapped in that wall how do we get out? Actually I have the same question, how do we separate the reality and illution? In my opinion, yes I can because I believed the power of humanity….By the way very interesting the wall in Berline, I always liked the history about the war,and Jewish people how they suffered during the world war…in somehow watching those documentary help you to understand the world..

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Maya March 4, 2011 at 12:16 am

I was told, if you want to understand a country and its people, then go and live there with them, for at least two years.

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Dado January 5, 2011 at 4:17 am

I just go through them.. in my experience, most of the “walls” are only imaginary.. I just hope that one day I won’t run head long into one..

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rana November 27, 2010 at 1:36 pm

walls are there coz we want them there… when we won’t want those walls they will come down themselves….. all it needs is a belief… believe that we don’t need any walls… believe that there is NO WALL… and u will see the walls disappearing… its your power… the power of human belief….

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Justine Hemmestad November 23, 2010 at 11:04 pm

The only way to tear down a wall is to know what the wall is made of. When you know about the composure of the wall, then you know what materrials to use to bring it down.

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cleiton luis de avila September 23, 2010 at 11:06 pm

nossa vida com o passar dos anos vao criando paredes as vezes construidas por nossos pais com o passar dos anos devemos destruilas viva a renovacao , tudo se renova abraco;

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jb August 24, 2010 at 1:42 pm

i am very good with tearing down walls but everytime i do it. people always take advantage of me.
its like most people are cruel yet i still don’t lose hope that there’s a good in everybody.
is that alright? or plain stupidity?
nowadays if you are good with people, they treat you as stupid?

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p September 2, 2010 at 6:22 pm

it doesnt matter hoe others treat you what matters the most is how you see yourself… pity them as they are stupid to exploit a person like you.

Pooja October 14, 2010 at 9:19 am

I completely agree to this…It is easy to say but difficult to accept not to expect out of your good deeds…

Dave C July 30, 2011 at 12:34 am

If your motivation was Goodness and Love, how can there be anything left to exploit? You have given all willingly, and thus are beyond losing anything in the exchange. If you accept that people are victims of their percieved reality, and their pain, and that their actions towards you have nothing at all to do with you, but their own interpretation of life through singular experiences they are defining as truth, then how they feel about you is none of your business,and should present no challenge to your purity of purpose, if your motivation was Goodness and Love.

Unnikriishnan August 1, 2010 at 6:17 am

Walls are indeed necessary evils. When a wall crops up from no where, we look back n realize what has happened. How we have changed. How the other person has changed. The only way to outgrow the virtual walls formed in the minds of ppl is to ask urself of what U want with the other person & follow ur heart.Give love, care & keep the expectations out. Love & care never goes unnoticed.It might take years but being persistent, practical & empathetic, U’ll be there soon!

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Taf T July 28, 2010 at 6:13 am

There are visible and invisible walls everywhere…. for both walls, you tear it down with a SMILE. It always start with a smile.

;-)

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Mathu July 1, 2010 at 1:22 pm

Speak the language of love with others. Dont create more and more walls between the brethren and fellow humans. What you give is what you get. So give love, compassion, empathy, sympathy, affection, without expectations. if you are hurt by someones behaviour then dont do the act your self as it will definitely hurt others too… pain and agony are the feelings remains the same to all. As like pleasure and happiness. Why do we pass pain when we can offer happiness.

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Pam July 12, 2010 at 8:08 pm

Thank you so much. Reading this helped lighten my feelings right now. A friend has been acting differently around me recently, and I don’t know why. I feel like there’s this unbreakable wall between us, and it hurts so much because I feel like I’ve lost her already. Anyway, thank you again.

Hanaa July 1, 2010 at 11:21 am

i think we break the walls between us and others, when we start breaking the walls between us and our soul,, diving deep in my humanity, making friendship with my lovely pure soul, talking to her, sensing her wisdom and beauty , trusting her choices, when i do this , i can communicate more with peaple, i sense in them the common ground in all of us , i feel pleasure and protection,,

i think that when we start seeing beauty in our own creation we break the wall and we start seeing beauty in others no matter what.we forgive them, we love rather tan judge them, we trust the wisdom of their creation.

love u paulo, God bless ur soul, for ur words talk to my soul :)

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nisreen July 1, 2010 at 9:35 am

i think by getting back to the basics of a loving humanity…instead of a (com)unity..and here com stands for all whats electronic..it mut back to the (HUMAN)ITY

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Jose Austell June 16, 2010 at 6:12 am

muchos gracis for this cool entry.

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Maryon May 15, 2010 at 7:32 am

I’m trying to tear down the walls of ignorance with fire.
The world has fallen into chaos and I am trying to obtain the Holy Order again.

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marie-christine May 15, 2010 at 12:00 am

Through education,
by sharing a vision,
spreading the word like you do is an excellent way of tearing down walls.
Thank you for being.

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manuel rivero February 9, 2010 at 9:15 am

Creo que para que en el mundo se derriben esas paredes cada uno como persona tiene que aprender a luchar primero por sus sueños…porque quizás es una de las principales razones que nos hace ciegos del amor al prójimo, la igualdad, comprensión, etc..

porque creo que de algún modo la mayoría es “igual” en ese aspecto (y no me excluyo). vivimos en un mundo de frustraciones tanto del otro como de nosotros…y muchas veces nos rendimos por no poder alcanzarlos…

la gente que ha sabido encontrarle ese sabor diferente de la vida…al luchar, ¿acaso no quiere también entregar su grano de arena al mundo?

por eso mismo son pocos…los que despiertan y salen de sus ataúdes.
Y lamentable que muchas veces tengan que ocurrir desgracias, para poder unirnos como iguales.

Pero quizás algún día, nos demos cuenta que plantando una semilla en nosotros, podremos llegar a ser un bosque…

saludos

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Susan December 19, 2009 at 2:09 am

Only with kindness…firm but always kind

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Sinagbituin May 19, 2010 at 2:43 pm

I agree…not sure about “only” though. I have not fully thought about this topic yet.

Kindness…

I have been mistreated many times by different people, but did not gave in to negative feelings such as anger.
In the long run, I figured out that those people are actually not bad, things such as: trouble with their lovelife, shyness, etc. are bothering them, and in fact they are not that aware that they are becoming less themselves because of those troubles… Good thing I understood and did not jump to different conclusions as others may have if they were in my place (I have seen many people in my case and end up becoming bitter).

Let me share one of the people that was say “not so nice” to me before, have now became one of my best friends. One time at the comfort room I greeted her as usual, but unusually she smiled backed at me. I told her that she seem to be happy, and she said that yes she is and she actually “opened-up”. Start of our friendship.

David October 22, 2009 at 9:10 am

The walls between our us are illusory. Even from a reductionist’s point of view we are all the same. The two primal urges of man, it is said, are food and sex. Everything else stems from these urges and I agree with that. We behave a certain way because that’s what’s acceptable. We want to be acceptable to help us thrive in our environment in order to get, maintain or increase our access to food and sex.

The differences in our civilizations reflect different methods thatt have worked in the past to achieve these goals. Even celibate people believe in perpetuation of the species though they don’t practise it themselves. If we accepted our fundamental nature it would be easier to get along.

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Ca March 12, 2009 at 12:30 am

Les barrières

La nuit s’élève resplendissante d’une aura majestueuse. Elle étire ses tentacules étoilés pour nous enlacer dans la grandeur d’un univers tout proche et à la fois si lointain.
Infime barrière que celle des illusions qui font l’Homme puissant, isolé sur sa petite planète.

L’Humanité bâtie au fil d’une histoire sauvage sur la grandeur dérisoire de grains de sables insignifiants qui s’écoulent sans faim d’un appétit égocentrique.
Un océan de terre friable s’effiloche à l’horizon comme un destin inéluctable pour un semblant d’unité formant un peuple. L’Humanité réduite à la somme d’une multitude d’individus mais ne formant toujours pas une unité.

Les grands écrasent les petits. Parfois des petits se regroupent pour être pus grand et à leur tout écraser d’autres petits ou certains grands devenus petits. Un ensemble réglé comme un ballet joué depuis la nuit des temps. L’Homme, intelligence capable d’apprendre, stagne dans ses instincts primaires qu’ils réfutent à grands cris sous couvert de civilisation.

Il a inventé le droit de non ingérence qui autorise le massacre sauf pour raisons économiques. Il a crée les Nations Unies en introduction à un scénario de science fiction d’un avenir encore lointain. Il s’est trouvé la raison d’état, celle qui a des raisons que la raison n’oserait jamais avoir. Il a dessiné des pays sur des rouleaux de papier pour affiner les différences et surtout ne pas les respecter. Il a élevé des frontières, érigé en dogme tout puissant pour se protéger et en même satisfaire son besoin de les envahir.

De mot à mot, l’Homme a su s’entourer de principes flamboyants codifiés dans une littérature abondante sous couvert de civilisation. Pour mieux s’autoriser à les renier dans un élan destructeur et finalement masquer d’un voile éthique que rien n’a changé.

Le lance flamme remplace la torche, la kalachnikov devient la massue, le FRF2 le sigle de l’archer isolé, nos chars d’assaut portent bien leur nom de régiment de cavalerie.
L’âge de pierre est volontairement trop loin pour nos petites mémoires, pas assez pour notre égo, si proche de nos actes.

Un ensemble qui se perpétue dans un éternel renouvellement oubliant les expériences du passé pour inlassablement se répéter. Un schéma protecteur appliqué par chacun pour l’union de tous derrière les barrières illusoires d’un éphémère passage. La majorité nie de l’appliquer pendant que certains sous couvert de l’assumer ne nous ferons pas plus progresser.

Chacun érige ses propres barrières pour se protéger, issues de l’expérience, de l’éducation, d’un milieu social, d’une vague idée que l’on se fait de soi, de valeurs, illusions de chacun qui se mêlent et s’entremêlent. Illusions de l’ensemble espérant le temps où enfin elles se démêlent…

Chacun fait ses courses dans le supermarché de la vie. La liste noircie de petites cases à cocher dans un passage précipité entre deux rayons. Petites cases muettes qui marque irrémédiablement du sceau de la discrimination ce qui est acceptable ou non. Aucune place pour le hasard qui risquerait de perturber les croyances immuables en la valeur futile de nos critères forcément exhaustifs.

Trop grand, trop maigre, trop loin, trop blond, trop riche, trop pauvre, trop, au premier abord sélectionne impitoyablement puis si cela ne suffit point, « pas assez » entre en scène et vient à la rescousse. De trop en pas assez, la voie se dégage peu à peu, se vidant de toutes consistances, laissant derrière nous le chemin chargé de tout ce que ces petites cases à cocher sont incapables d’imaginer.

La Liberté devient l’exorcisme de la peur et celle de ne pas choisir en limitant les autres à la perception subjective de nous même. La chrysalide se traîne laborieusement sur un sentier escarpé. Elle se pare déjà de l’éclat du papillon fuyant les couleurs à naître pour se goinfrer de certitudes. Chacun reconnaît gracieusement la valeur des différences ainsi qu’à l’autre le droit d’exister, dès l’instant où cet autre à la décence de bien vouloir exister ailleurs. Ainsi le Petit Prince erre de planète en planète, s’effeuille doucement de rose en rose pour toujours se piquer de ce qu’il ne sait pas regarder.

Les mots s’emplissent d’émotions embellissant une grandeur d’âme qui virevolte au dessus d’une masse incongrue. Pour une soyeuse réalité chérie dans l’alcôve du fantasme de ce que nous pourrions être.

De petits mots s’amoncellent pour nous décrire tels que nous sommes. Petit tas de lettres qui forment une chaîne entre notre propre image et nos croyances. Une phrase plus loin, le paragraphe nous ressemble déjà moins teinté de la nuance de l’interprétation. Quel adjectif subversif s’est ainsi glissé entre notre conscience et notre image pour montrer finalement une autre ?

Comment se peut il que ce petit rien négligeable lève à lui seul un voile si soyeux qu’il nous cachait à nos yeux. ?

Chaque espace libre devrait être vide de la plénitude de rien dans l’attente de tout. Quel espace reste-t-il à une liberté déjà pleine de manque et emplit d’un idéal restreint dans la certitude qu’il n’existe pas ?

Une pieuse revendication portée haute dans les cieux pour une ouverture d’esprit limitée au choix de vouloir connaître. Le désir de croire que tout est possible limité dors et déjà par le choix de définir l’impossible en érigeant des barrières infranchissables.

Les barricades se dressent l’une derrière l’autre, solidement ancrées dans les profondeurs de notre absolue vérité. Encore une fois un ego démesuré qui nous fait savoir avant de connaître, juger avant d’écouter simplement pour ne pas prendre le risque d’entendre ?

L’insolence de l’absurde démesure qui fait caresser d’un regard, d’offrir un petit geste de tendresse se trouve balayer dans un souffle d’une multitude de petites cases.
Pour dix centimètres de moins, la barre est trop haute. Alors que pour cinq de plus, la voici soudain trop basse. Dix de plus uni avec cinq de moins ne sont pourtant qu’une simple distance qu’il appartient de désirer parcourir.
Deux cœurs l’un contre l’autre battent bien plus vite et peuvent aller bien plus loin sans s’essouffler.

Je serai un hérisson, je résoudrai pour une fois le dilemme en m’éloignant des humains qui après avoir éliminés allègrement d’autres espèces aiment à accuser les autres de finir le travail.

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Maru February 24, 2009 at 7:43 am

….. Hay que encontrar aquellos puntos en que somos iguales, y aceptar que no somos identicos….

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Maru February 24, 2009 at 7:41 am

No puedo derribar paredes que no se que existen.. que no comprendo.
Para construir puentes, abrir puertas, conectar corazones, necesito auto-conocimiento, auto-estima, seguridad de lo que soy en lo profundo, CONGRUENCIA, de estas bases nace la seguridad en si, y en este cimiento crece el amor a todo creado… como derribo el muro que quedo en el animo… amando, esperando, creyendo en esa parte buena que nos une… en la semejanza que transparece cuando nos dejamos ser y nos sentimos hermanos…no hay muros que resistan la fuerza del amor incondicional.

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Freddy February 23, 2009 at 11:15 am

I am confident this wall will disappear. Open your arms to receive your neighboor. Accept the other as a neighboor. We are all people who want and need to live. Do not stress on the differences, but look for common interests. Forget what has happened in the past, make a new start. You don’t have to become friends, but we can start with accepting the needs of others; think about what’s good for everyone, not just about yourself.

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sidi February 23, 2009 at 5:16 am

International Court of Justice
The only participents seem to be the ones that did not tow up the line ,aam I wrong?
Sadam, did not took part in it, was this a error of justice?
How come the US and Israel are not in it? This is strange, isn’t it?

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Ignoramus February 23, 2009 at 3:16 am

Carolena Sabah
Thanks for your comment.
Why the name? I just realised the more I read, the less I know. I am grateful for the opening of the Internet, a melting pot of brilliant people with brilliant minds, I am here for learning. I just love it.
I had a look at your site, it is beautiful.
Congratulations on winning the “Experimental Witch” project too.
I had the opportunity of meeting people from Iran with so much wisdom…
AH AH !I liked your story too, it is a case of psychology in reverse, isn’t it?
Thanks for sharing that.
Love

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toni j February 23, 2009 at 1:44 am

I believe first we tear down our own wall, then we create a mirror that hopefully will shine onto others…*

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Ca February 23, 2009 at 1:19 am

oi Paulo!
Mto bonito assunto desta semana e muito bonito os comentarios aqui deixados. E sempre um grade prazer frequentar seus sites, e eu agradeço muito à vc por tudo.
Na minha humilde opinião creio que so o amor e aceitação podem derrubar os muros construidos pelo homem. O pior muro é aquele que, enquanto esta sendo construido, não se tem consciência do que se perde de vista. Os muros aprisionam o homem de todas as outras possibilidades de que se ele nao existisse. Os muros destroem o amor, enquanto oque se espera é exatamente o contrario. Se os seres humanos aprendessem a aceitar a liberdade de seu proximo, não seria necessario nenhum muro para impor isso.
Que possamos ainda assistir muitos muros desmoronarem!:)

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marcia February 22, 2009 at 10:03 am

Paulo,
queria escrever algo e algo brilhante (ridículo, o escritor aqui é você). Acho que o conhecimento pode ajudar a tear down walls. A tolerância, a perseverança. As vezes me pergunto se sei o real siginificado destas palavras.

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Rupa Giani February 22, 2009 at 8:25 am

The walls are meant for a purpose,
you cannot tear them down. The hate has made them too strong.
You can only climb over them .with some effort and thats love

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THELMA February 22, 2009 at 7:46 am

Dear Noraida, thank you. I fully agree with you : MIND OVER MATTER!
LOVE,
Thelma

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Al February 22, 2009 at 6:07 am

What about Albert Einstein, who managed to have the US Congress discuss his theory of relativity? That man is a cracker!
That’s what I call Passion.
and one side mind>

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noraida February 21, 2009 at 5:38 pm

The easiest way to tear down a wall is to envision & see in our minds clearly that “there is no wall at all,,,,”

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Blanche February 21, 2009 at 1:01 pm

People should start to live for other deep meaningful things in this life.No only for money,power.. Acceptance, understanding ,empathy and
more, more love…

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Souhail February 20, 2009 at 11:39 pm

If we refer to walls as barriers, I think that the only way to tear them down is proactivity. Many of us (if not all of us) are somehow pre-programed by their respective societies to react to diferences they see in others. For example, we are pre-programed to feel compassion (or pitty) when we se a disabled person. Compassion is a good thing, however, it might not be the right response in all cases. To make my point a bit clearer, I would invite all those who read to think for 5 or 10 minutes about the last time they reacted in a certain way after seeing or meeting someone from a different culture, different social background,in a different physical shape, or just people with different ideas. Obviously, our reactions are not always what we want them to be – be it consciously or unconsciously. They are conditionned by our education, the societies we grew up in, and many other factors. So, when I say that the solution is proactivity, I am pointing to that choice we make when we react to the stimuli we recieve from other people in daily life. Yes, we do maje a choice, since there is a time threshold between the moment we recieve the stimulus and the time we respond to it. To be proactive is simple to refuse a reaction that is “by default”, and rather choose that reaction according to our values and principles. In that way, we can avoid many tensions, make room for mutual understanding and empathy, and enhance mutual respect among not only individuals but also entire cultures.

I hope these words find you all in peace.
Much respect,
Souhail from Morocco :-)

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Grace February 20, 2009 at 8:49 pm

I find it interesting that an article is posted here about walls. Last Sunday I was talking about walking through walls. I would like nothing better right now than to have the ability to physically walk through walls. The circumstances that put the walls up will never change. I can do nothing about it. I can only move through the walls to get what I want. So far I have physically been unable to walk through a wall. What I have been able to do is use my love, will, respect, faith, hope, dreams, words, and even my voice to get what I want from within the walls.

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bAREthoughs February 20, 2009 at 5:39 pm

What is a wall?

I think of a wall like it is in the history of the first houses. They are keeping the roof up, and the purpose of a house is to keep us warm and safe. In a point of the history some humans changed the purpose of the wall and used it to keep humans closed inside the houses, build stonewalls around thei porperties, to mark, this is my land, I own it.

If the leaders of this world, would use their power to tell humans and show that we want a world with peace and harmony, they should tell the countries that has walls, to put them down, as like the Berlin wall did. The chinese wall is open, it didnt work, because humans dont see any rules written on the wall, so they climb it, to see whats on the other side, the grass isnt greener on the other side.

Still hope, of a peaceful world, living in harmony with the earth!

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Becky February 20, 2009 at 5:04 pm

What if, instead of tearing down, we use the walls to support the bridges we build to connect the civilizations? What if, instead of tearing down, more of us demonstrate that walls are illusory in the face of love? Tearing down is only an invitation to build another. Love and acceptance, water and wind, can dissolve walls into grains of sand.

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jaz February 20, 2009 at 1:56 pm

Dear Paolo,

All walls are for money and power. The only way to tear down the them is to change the values. People should start to live for other deep meaningful things in this life.

And also I agree with opinion “acceptance of difference”

Thank you

Jaz

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Mari Ann February 20, 2009 at 1:37 pm

The wall will be transcended by the ultimate source of love, which in my philosophy of life and vocabulary is termed God.

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Santosh Kalwar February 20, 2009 at 12:45 pm

Marie-Christine,

Yes, indeed.

Pleasure is all mine. :)

I appreciate all those who are trying to break the clouds of walls and bringing new hope, ideas and inspiration towards greater achievemnts of mankind.

Good day !

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Marie-Christine February 20, 2009 at 11:37 am

Santosh K
‘I meant they are tearing down walls here.
:;

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Marie-Christine February 20, 2009 at 11:36 am

Santosh Kalwar,
I am glad you are.
Keep smiling.
:D
I can tell you something, they are walls here, it is happening, it is real. Good, isn’t it? Not a cold war any longer.

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