selected by Paulo Coelho
What will they say of you?
As a boy, Abin-Alsar overheard a conversation between his father and a dervish.
“Careful with your work”, said the dervish. “Think of what future generations will say about you.”
“So what?”, replied his father, “When I die, everything shall end, and it will not matter what they say.”
Abin-Alsar never forgot that conversation. His whole life, he made an effort to do good, to help people and go about his work with enthusiasm. He became well-known for his concern for others; when he died, he left behind a great number of things which improved the quality of life in his town.
On his tombstone, he had the following epitaph engraved:
“A life which ends with death, is a life not well spent.”
Covering the sun with one’s hand
A disciple went to Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav:
– I shall not continue with my studies of sacred texts – he said. – I live in a small house with my brothers and parents, and never have the ideal conditions for concentrating on that which is important.
Nachman pointed to the sun and asked his disciple to place his hand over his face, in order to hide it. The disciple obeyed.
– Your hand is small, yet it can completely cover the power, light and majesty of the great sun. In the same way, the small problems manage to give you the excuse you need in order to hinder your progress along your spiritual journey.
“Just as your hand has the power to hide the sun, mediocrity has the power to hide your inner light. Do not blame others for your own incompetence.”
please share. Storytelling can help more than conventional politics
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Lieber Paulo Coelho,
Deine Bücher geben Anstoss sich auf den eigenen Weg
zubegeben. Bringen mich zum Weinen und zum Lachen, zum Nachdenken, zu Gott. Sie berühren die Seele vieler Menschen dieser Welt.
Man wird sich wieder bewusst.
Dafür möchte ich von ganzem Herzen “DANKE” sagen.
Licht und Liebe auf deinem Weg
Claudia
Thank you so much for sharing this. You truly are an inspiration. I hope you enjoy this quote:
“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”
dear paulo
is it impossible to meet u ?
can u make my dream true and call me
i’ve read every single word you wrot
I’m a faithful fan
my name is maha
I’m living in SAUDI ARABIA far far awy from your world but still I can read my self between your words
Yes, what is your number, I seem to have mislead it?
whenever you covered your eyes ,you’d not see anything .there are a lot of times we ‘d better cover our eyes ,pretend somethings we didn’t see .the only important is we should know the distinction of the right time and wrong time.
Your wisdom has always touched my life; it amazes me to no end how you can leave a print in everyone’s souls and how your words affect our perceptions (mine at least).
I’ve been reading your books ever since I was in ninth grade!
I always seek knowledge and emotional support in your work.
Thank you so much for sharing your words, thought, and experiences with us.
Sincerely,
Rand
Dear Paulo,
Your wisdom has always touched my life; it amazes me to no end how you can leave a print in everyone’s souls and how your words affect our perceptions (mine at least).
I’ve been reading your books ever since I was in ninth grade!
I always seek knowledge and emotional support in your work.
Thank you so much for sharing your words, thoughts, and life experiences with us.
Sincerely,
Rand
I cannot express how soothing it is to come here to this blog and read, not only Paulo’s post, but the shared opinions of so many who say that conflict is not necessary, who believe that we of different religions and cultures CAN all get along.
Just yesterday, I picked up a radio program which, at first, seemed to be a serious attempt to understand the rising conflict between Christians and Muslims in the US. They had even brought in a conflict resolution specialist, a woman who spoke quite sensibly about the underlying issues, their causes and possible solutions. But the program was hosted by two men, evidently Christians, who, in the middle of the broadcast, turned quite hostile toward all Muslims, making the most ill-founded and wholly prejudiced, blanket remarks. A polite young man, a Muslim exchange student from the Middle East, called in to share his views, which he expressed quite sensibly and without the least hint of prejudice, and yet the two radio hosts, adamantly refusing to acknowledge the logic of what he was saying, rudely interrupted him, twisted his words around to mean precisely the opposite of what he was saying, and in the end, abruptly dismissed him as “just another example of radical Islam.” In their minds, “radical Islam” is the problem. But I thought to myself, those two radio hosts ARE the problem, or at least part of the problem, and they don’t even see it. They don’t perceive or acknowledge their role as instigators of prejudice and hatred.
Only a few days before this, I was sitting in a restaurant, at a booth, when I overheard the woman who was seated behind me, expressing her views about Muslims being allowed to serve in the US military. I wasn’t trying to listen in on the conversation, but the woman, quite angry, was speaking very loudly. She said “THOSE PEOLE shouldn’t be allowed to come to this country to begin with. This is a CHRISTIAN nation! CHRISTIAN! Not Muslim. If they want to come here, they should have to convert to Christianity. Otherwise, stay out!” Of course, I was completely appalled by what the woman was saying – I could feel my pulse racing and I lost my appetite, immediately. I suppose I could have addressed her and attempted to counter what she was saying, or at least asked her to keep her to keep her opinion to herself, but I didn’t, because I knew that nothing I could say would change her opinion. It was evident that she was so full of hatred and blind rage that she had completely lost the capacity for reason.
These are not isolated incidents. Rather, they are just two examples of the kind of prejudice, hatred and malice which I (and, I assume, many of you) frequently encounter. As these sorts of incidents seem to occur more and more often, I say to myself: “It is getting worse. The tension, and possibility of major conflict, is growing on a daily basis.” From this perspective, the world seems a bleak place, overflowing with hatred and prejudice – an insane world where logic and reason no longer hold any bearing.
Then I come here to this blog, and I encounter a wholly different environment: numerous voices speaking of peace and love and understanding, expressing the possibility and willingness to overcome religious difference and transcend cultural barriers. Thank you, Paulo, and all who work with Paulo, for offering us the opportunity of participating in this forum. It is like a bright star shining in otherwise darkened sky. I just have to believe that more and more people will be drawn toward that light.