Once upon a Time…

by Paulo Coelho on February 23, 2009

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{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }

andrea February 28, 2009 at 9:42 pm

If I want to smoke I’ll smoke. I’m free. ‘I’m free to do waht I want’
‘…tomar banho de chapeu….’

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Liina.L February 27, 2009 at 8:42 pm

carolyn: thank You, and I reseble with Your words aswell. We have to stay tolerant of others – accept people as they are. Although there should be basic ethic and social rules, what to tolerate and what not to tolerate. But that is another topic. Basically I think we all agree – thy shall not kill… etc.

Paul from Austria: thank You for Your kind words. I will hope to, one day, be at least half of what my grandfather was, before he died. He is one of the resources of my strenght and hope and courage. But there are also many other ways from where I get it. Btw. it’s wonderful how You comfort and give hope to people in this blog. Let the love spread, like You said in a few weeks ago… hmm… I think it’s spreading already. And this week has been a big leap in this part, it seems. I love it. Everyone is pitching in – like team work… team work in loving each other. :) What a lovely way.

Thelma: I agree with You deeply. Today You have to have knowledge in many areas, because the “system” is hiding at least half of the truths from You. And I also have many examples from the hospitals that I have heard from other people around me. And this is probably the reason many don’t trust the doctors (in Estonia also) anymore.
My recent experience with the doctors were following. I was sick, but I didn’t know what it was (this was over a year ago). I started collecting the ‘symptoms’ on my own, trying to view myself and my health from every possible and objective view (in medical, psychological and humanly terms). I looked up the possibilities of the diseases I might have (based on the symptoms I found) on the internet. And I also diagnosed myself (which actually may sound a bit funny). THEN I went to the doctor… and she basically looked at me and said something like – You seem to be fine. Then I asked to her to take certain tests for me that she didn’t promoted for me on her own, after she checked me up. And this is sadly the general “system”, I’m afraid – if You do not know what to ask for, they keep silent about it and wait until Your health gets so bad that it is absolutely compulsory to help You. I think most of all the serious diseases could be prevented if the system was different in this medical area as I just described.
But not ONLY in the medical area. In life overall. Why hide the information if we can use it in the name of the good, for the good of everyone in our society, and maybe even for the good of the whole world?
My visit to the doctor this time ended well, because I was able to prevent the worst, but it still makes me worried. In this world we live now, we have to have knowledge, we have to know what is good for us, we have to have courage and persitance to ask what we think they are not serving us. I also have talked about this topic to my friends and my family, and they agree also… it seems like to survive in todays world, You have to be a superhuman. A bit like a superhero. Know a lot, dare a lot… etc. etc. and at the same time stay open hearted and as humanly as possible.
At this concrete moment, I see it two ways: either we really have to start listening to ourselves and be bold (which we should do anyway, in every life situation), or something should be done to this “system” that is used.

To everyone: I hope we all have courage to do what we see/feel/know that needs to be done in our eyes. I hope we all manage to keep the cild in ourselves and let the miracles of every day happen for us and others. I hope we all dwell on love in loving ourselves as well loving others. Each day is a possibility to reach to a new knowledge level – and I hope we take it in.

I know, getting emotional. But I truly hope this…
This week has been emotional for me, as it has for many others in here.

Thank You for today,
dwelling on love and sending my love to You,
Liina L.

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Marie-Christine February 14, 2010 at 10:53 pm

Precisely Liina L.Thanks God for the Internet.
:)

THELMA February 27, 2009 at 7:59 am

Thank you all. What you describe above, dear Paulo Coelho and Paul from Austria is exactly the true story behind the curtains. Not only regarding smoking but for everything that governs our lives. Weapons: the ‘peace-makers’ are those who start the … wars. {The paradigm of Cyprus is one!]. Henry Kissinger was involved in the plans many years before the Turkish Invasion! How could he .. foresee that there was going to be a .. rebellion against president Makarios? They create what they want using EVIL, money. [I call it evil, because we are in a ... metaphysical Blog;]] So the factories of war are always busy.
About Health. I have first hand information, that even from the first days of a new born, the MILK companies offer commissions to the clinics to promote their products! My paediatrician, who is the most honest person I have ever met, had instructed me before going to the clinic to give birth to my second daughter: Do not allow them to give to your baby any bottle milk, under any excuses, because once the baby starts eating … cow milk, he/she stops absorbing the precious mother’s milk and in consequence the milk stops being produced. WE all know that it has been proved that, as it seems to me now, mother’s milk is like ..love ‘the more you give, the more it is ..coming’. So instead of sending tones of ..milk to the unprivileged countries, why do not they try to feed the ..mothers? The same applies to every drug and the Pharmaceutical Companies and then we speak about HIPPOCRATES’ OATH.
As you have put it before, dear Paulo, the ‘system’ is based on preventing information, knowledge, ‘correct’ education, and by creating fear! In my small paradigm of ‘milk’ I was daring and made my ‘war’ in the clinic by taking my baby in my own room, because thanks to the help of my friend-doctor I new I was making the right steps. They had tried to tell me that it was ..better for my baby’s health and.. and.. I HAD KNOWLEDGE SO THEY COULD NOT CHANGE MY MIND. The key to everything, since we have … tasted the fruit from the Tree of knowledge is to transform material knowledge to WISDOM through LOVE. The knife can be used for killing but for an ..operation too. Thank you once again, Paulo Coelho, for allowing us to express here our views, but our .. respect and love too.
LOVE,
THELMA

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carolyn February 27, 2009 at 1:53 am

I like the comments by Paul and Liina, I think we all have faults and the biggest faults are usually in the most judgemental people.Calm tolerance of others and trying hard to make myself better as a person and focusing on the task at hand, whilst all the time realising how far from perfect I am gets me through the day.Also noticing how people are that inspire me, and they’re not always the non-smoking,non-drinking people,but some are!They tend to be the people who can work with a good heart,efficiently,yet are not to proud to laugh at their own faults.

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orly February 27, 2009 at 1:52 am

it almost looks like the lost world that its nice to remember,,,,cuz once upon a time we were in a different way of aproaching life,,, lol
and today we talk vitamins- spiritualism- meditation,,,etc
and btw i love the today!

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susan February 26, 2009 at 10:58 pm

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8953172273825999151

Here is a fascinating series of documentary that some might be interested in viewing. It is rather long (one hour) but can be viewed in segments if one chooses. I hit the pause butten. It is very informative and goes straight to the heart of what is being offered in Mr. Coelho’s series Once Upon a Time.

It shows how mankind is shaped and molded from the idea that he/she is an irrational animal to be feared and controled. I find this idea deplorable, and self serving to those who would propose it.

a thought occurred to me while watching this documentary in regards to the idea that we are irrational animals.

Where did this idea come from I wondered? In the documenary you will see how easy it is to manipulate mankind, to confuse us, cause us fear, hatred, love, and a host of other human emotions.

I also realized that perhaps the reason they call us irrational animals is because like us the animal world is able to experience fear, confusion, love, forgiveness, compassion, etc., as studies have shown.

I find it interesting that we are referred to as animals, but animals are never referred to as humans. Why?

It is my opinion that referring to humans as animals is a tool to lessen our God given distinction and dignity. It is like slander. it deeply wounds the soul.

May we all find peace, harmony and purpose in our lives. We need it and deserve.

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Candie February 26, 2009 at 9:19 pm

On one hand,I do agree with Liina,we need to have the ability to chose what we think it’s best for us.I’ve been somking for 10 years,my whole family is smoking!So yeah,if you wnat to smoke,smoke.
On the other hand,it’s for sure another way to control us and our brain and I’m happy I got rid of it.
I think everything is in the mind.I don’t know how it happened,I thought I would never managed to give up.One day my throat was hurting so much and I said or heard someone said(who knows:))if your throat hurts so much,imagine the suffering of the one who has cancer in his throat.The picture of a person having to live with a hole in his throat,and that was it.Although I was pregnant and I already had cut by three the consommation,I really stopped when that hit me.Well,I feel much better now.None are smoking in my house but they can go at the window,I think it’s fair,no?lol.
I wish people to get rid of that but only if it’s what they want.Again,we have to take our own decisions.

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Liina.L February 26, 2009 at 8:19 pm

Paul from Austria: this is, what we in Estonia call ‘the Neighbour watch’. Basically what it means, is looking out for Your own environment. Looking after Your neighbours. Real house-robbings (and other bigger accidents) have been stopped thanks to this system we use here.

Although, I am sad to say, that most estonians have a bad habbit of comparing themselves to their neighbours. Everything their neighbour has, they have to have it, and they have to have it better (a better version of it, so to say). And if they think the neighbour does something wrong, they critisize them, behind their back. I have noticed it is an older generation problem overall. The younger people nowadays don’t have this issue. I honestly don’t know why it is that way… maybe something inflicted on them in the past. Sadly it is more citizising than accepting people’s “odd spots” as I call them.

I think, personally, that we all have our weirdnesses, and “odd spots”… but that’s what makes us exactly what we are. And it’s a blessing, really. That is the reason why I love life – it has bigger varieties than we think.

Love,
Liina L.

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Anca February 26, 2009 at 8:10 pm

Speaking of education, I just remembered the awesomeness of the subway in Mexico City.

http://www.metro.df.gob.mx/cultura/murales.html

They’re using the communication space between stations not for advertising, but for sharing knowledge and enjoying culture. I haven’t seen a single commercial in three days of riding those trains. Such initiatives exist, even at larger levels.

It breaks my heart now every time I take our subway and look at the latest bank fees, hair shampoo, and cell phone rates.

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Kealan February 26, 2009 at 8:09 pm

Advertising is destroying our minds. As a hypnotherapist I know what it is like to have somebody think, you will do something to my mind, you will made me do something stupid, irreversible etc. This is not true. In retrospect advertising enters you home, car, office, street… every day. The multinationals employ people to get inside you mind, yes your mind, and mess with you unconscious mind to get you to buy, good or bad you will buy it. Isn’t that amazing, a hypnotist wants to help you and you are scared of what he will do to your mind, but there are people controlling you through every medium without you realising it.

At present The Pirate Bay, a site that never hurt anyone is on trial in Sweden. Now in Ireland they want to have it blocked so we cannot access it, internet censorship, being enforced by the Music industry. I will refer to Paulo’s myspace blog on who erased my song! So all this is fine and good, the government block the Pirate Bay, but the funny thing is that they have not blocked the child porn sites (this featured in the newspaper). So we live in a world where we are not citizens, but consumers and when we begin to make our way back to be citizens we are stopped. Let us revive Napster from the ashes and use better privacy settings!

Kealan

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Josephine in Brussels February 26, 2009 at 8:08 pm

As long as a smoker don’t blow her cigarettesmoke straight into my face and as long as she doesn’t ask me to buy her cigarettes, she can smoke as much as she likes. I hate cigarette-smoke, not the smokers.

Interesting to see these adds now… with the current public political correct opinions… Almost as strange as to see and read those “scientifical” reports about human races in the 30:ies.

b.t.w. alcohol adds are still allowed (thinking of Bacardi mojito b.ex.) … I wonder for how long more?

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Catherine M February 26, 2009 at 7:32 pm

Thank you dear Candie. Have a nice evening.
Love, love, love. Papada… :)

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Liina.L February 26, 2009 at 7:32 pm

Ahh yes, it was the Winstons, not Marlboros, sorry. :D I put the wrong brand before.

Thank You for Your feedback, Candie and CatherineM !

Paulo: Indeed I was wondering that why is the reason this week is the ‘smoking’ week. Hehe… and I agree on the fact that we shouldn’t make others peoples choices for them. Everyone should have a free choice to do what they want.

Although, this much freedom, to promote smoking for kids through cartoons, doesn’t seem right either. :) Free choices are for people who have reached to an understanding that they are a person, who can make their own lives, and who are responsible for their own, and in some way for the people lives around them.
Some children, so called child-geniuses or just children who have a determined mind seem to fit the script, but since they are still evolving, they still should be ‘protected’.

Nice surprise appearance, by the way.

Love,
Liina L.

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Catherine M February 26, 2009 at 7:31 pm

Yes you’re right Paulo. “Dangerous waters”. Moreover “when those people knows what is better” to harm. The remaining motivation is domination. Why should we absolutely have an enemy?

Happy evening to you.

Smocking

From autumn to winter
They smoke over the roofs
And up above
They smoke in trails
All year
They smoke a rave

They smoke along the streets
They smoke on gas cookers
They smoke into the woods
Or industrial zones

Ritually
They smoke in a tee-pee
Or do it by the sea
They all go up in smoke
And me
I smoke on the pavement…

Smoke
Smoke
It became a nutrient

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Paulo Coelho February 26, 2009 at 7:12 pm

You are probably surprised that I put a lot of old ads on smoking during this “smoking week” in the blog. In fact, in my understanding, back to the 90′s people did not have an enemy anymore, the Cold War was over, and then they need to “motivate” their lives. They found a new enemy: the cigarrete. I have friends that started smoking because of the ads, stop smoking because of the anti-smoking campaign, and are unhappy untill today.
On a side note, the next step was the politically correctness, then a Stalinist vigilance on how people behave, then the good guys X the bad guys, and see the state of the world right now… Instead of educating people, the NGOs are spending millions of USD on saving the pandas, greenhouse effect, etc. I believe that educated people will care for the planet (how can the main characters of “Slumdog Millionaire” or “City of God” care about anything but survival?).
But the NGOs are not transparent, and their behavior, with a few exceptions, are not too different from the banking system. The difference is that they will not collapse, because they are not accountable, and they don’t need to return the money.
Mark Forster’s “Quantum of Solace” touches on the subject. There is a scene on a charity dinner to raise funds for a “good cause” while the organizer is at the same time provoking (behind the courtains) the problems that he wants to solve.
I am not preaching smoking, but I believe that when people knows “what is better” for his/her neighbour or for the planet, then we are stepping into dangerous waters.

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Irina Black February 26, 2009 at 5:36 pm

A pleasant mistake.’Woman was the second mistake of God.’(Somebody}.Have you any doubts?!If so,watch it again.

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Anca February 26, 2009 at 5:10 pm

I can’t believe they would promote smoking on a program targeted mainly for children! It seems such a stupid thing to promote, non less to believe as a consumer, and yet a whole nation did!

WOW!

No wonder smoking is one of the leading causes of death. I wonder what will I find in the ads breaks of children programs these days, I know I’ve seen in ‘Super size me’ how McDonalds is one of the main characters they advertise and children know, before anything else. Has poor eating become the new ‘smoking’ habit, I wonder?

Thank you for adding this mirror of the past, Paulo. We need not to forget our mistakes as humanity and educate ourselves, at all ages, and become more responsible… more aware.

I like some of the new parent education commercials, that try to raise adult awareness of the perils that advertising can bring to a child’s mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=321Kb8pBu5s&feature=related

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Catherine M February 26, 2009 at 4:45 pm

Yes Liina, I just thought about what you wrote yesterday. Then, that mania Men have to push aesthetic to its wit’s end.
:)

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THELMA February 26, 2009 at 4:43 pm

After … Lysistrata’s rebellion, the aim has been succeeded, equality established and they … both ‘enjoy’ smoking!!

You got it right, dear/est Paul from Austria, wives and/or daughters used to smoke in the kitchen or the W.C., but the … smell is always there! ‘No secret under the Sun!;
LOVE,
Thelma

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Candie February 26, 2009 at 4:30 pm

I loved your answers Catherine M and Liina,yes using cartoons..
crazy stuff.

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toni j February 26, 2009 at 4:24 pm

” Wilma”, I’m Home…*

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Marie-Christine February 26, 2009 at 2:33 pm

Did they say Winston?He was like us too..

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Alexandra February 26, 2009 at 2:10 pm

I love Fred and Barney,one of my favourite cartoon.Why each day is about smoking?I really have problems going out,everywhere people smoke.I was eating a pizza once,and near me some were smoking.I start caughing ,cant breath,I was forced to leave the pizza and go out.Now they start to say they make some separate space for non-smokers,but I havent seen such till now.Maybe in bigger cities,or in future.Even in faculty smoking in bathrooms was forbidden,but nobody cared.If one went to bathroom always was forced to pass through smokers.The worst experience I had at Intercontinental hotel,in Bucharest.I was there for talking business at bar restaurant.Next our table some wierd black people,dresses in their popular attire smoked something really strange,and they behaved as crazy,laughing loud.I felt sick,almost faint.I guess they were smoking mariguana,but they were too rich that somebody put them out.

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Catherine M February 26, 2009 at 12:59 pm

Now you worked yourself to death through household chores, yeah, breathe a little death…

Cliché! Women at work, and men at rest…Men that have pity for woman’s staff… That publicity shows us well the nascent era about woman’s emancipation. Women are now authorized to “mimetic-smoke” and order their husband to sweep the floor! Well…
Yet, men are more and more involved in helping women in day to day’s tasks, still the latter are less paid than “big arms”; and this all over the world. So, in facts, it is about not taking people for fools.

The lawnmower with teeth is excellent. It’s at that time, we thank the universe, people don’t go through all their imaginations… :)

Nice day.

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Liina.L February 26, 2009 at 12:40 pm

Using cartoons is just cheap to sell cigarettes.

But yeah, the smoking did begin in the old days. In the stoneages probably also. But not in the form of Marlboros. Haha…

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