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PORTUGUES: Perguntas sem resposta
ESPANOL: Preguntas sin respuesta
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Climbing up a track in the Pyrenees in search of somewhere to practice archery, I came upon a small French army camp, where I met a colonel who asks me if I am the writer. And then, getting over his almost visible shyness, he tells me that he too has written a book and begins to explain me the curious genesis of his work.
He and his wife made donations for a leper child who originally lived in India but was later transferred to France. One fine day, curious to meet the little girl, they went to the convent where the nuns took care of the child. One of the nuns asked if he would help in the spiritual education of the group of children who lived there. Jean Paul Sétau (the officer’s name) said that he had no experience teaching the catechism but that he would give it some thought and ask God what he should do.
That night, after saying his prayers, he heard the answer: “instead of offering answers, try to find out what the children want to ask.”
From then on Sétau had the idea of visiting several schools, asking children for the questions to be put in writing, so that the more timid among the pupils would lose their fear of exposing themselves.
Here are some of them:
Where do we go after we die?
Why are we afraid of strangers?
Are there extra-terrestrial beings?
Why do accidents happen even to people who believe in God?
Why are we born, if in the end we die?
Who invented war and happiness?
Does the Lord also listen to those who do not believe in the same (Catholic) God?
Why are there poor and sick people?
Why did God create mosquitoes and flies?
Why isn’t the guardian angel close by when we are sad?
Why do we love some people and hate others?
Who gave names to the colors?
If God is in heaven and my mother is up there too because she died, how can He be alive?
I hope that some teachers or parents who read feel stimulated to do the same thing. In that way, instead of trying to impose our adult understanding of the universe, we will end up remembering some of our questions as children – and which were never really answered.
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A very captivating post Paulo! I had these questions as a kid for which I’m still searching for answers,
1. Mom told me God created the Universe and all that thrives within it. How did he come to being in the first place?
2. What was there before the Creator and his Creation?
Why is there people starving in this world of abundance? Why is that human being that I can help now not getting my help?
Why do I want to know were I’m going after I die if I don’t know were I’m going while I’m still here? Why do I want to know if there is life in other planets if I don’t even care about the people that is around me? I just ask God that he can guide me through this life and that he lets me learn what I need to know at the time that is right.
“Sometimes we know the answer and do otherwise, why should we be trusted with answers that nobody knows?… “
I was called upon to answer these questions.
Where do we go after we die?
Back home.
Why are we afraid of strangers?
Because we intimately know everyone is divine and powerful.
Are there extra-terrestrial beings?
Other E.T. beings are asking themselves the same question.
Our soul is also extra-terrestrial.
Why do accidents happen even to people who believe in God?
Accidents are also God.
Why are we born, if in the end we die?
For the same reason we watch a movie with beginning and end.
Who invented war and happiness?
We did. We do everyday.
Does the Lord also listen to those who do not believe in the same (Catholic) God?
If we will listen to everyone of course the Lord will do, too.
Why are there poor and sick people?
Because there shall treasures and doctors.
Why did God create mosquitoes and flies?
So that we figure out we need no wings to fly.
Why isn’t the guardian angel close by when we are sad?
So that we figure that without him/her we are lost. By the way the guardian angel is always around but sometimes he wants us to look him up so that we be aware of his presence or sometimes he wants us to move other direction.
Why do we love some people and hate others?
Because we have much to learn. Opossites are there to makes us choose the best for us. Without darkness we wouldn’t realize how pleasent light is. Without darkness we would become blind _ but we eventually come to realize darkness and light are both divine and they live within our souls.
Who gave names to the colors?
Imagination, God within us.
If God is in heaven and my mother is up there too because she died, how can He be alive?
If God was the Lord of the dead he wouldn’t be God.
There’s no such thing as death. We change clothes.
liked most of the answers :-)
To this question “Why do accidents happen even to people who believe in God?”, I would say “Life itself is an accident”
To this question “Why are we afraid of strangers?”, I would say “because we don’t know them!”
can you expand on the new…..Iam dying and I dont
care ….my friend is diagnosised with a serious
illness…yet he only wants the rest of us to continue
as if everything is normal. So,since I find your
words helpful….give me some to address this
problem…
I collected similar questions…
If every dawn can be the last one, why do we waste our time?
Why do we have to be far for months and years from the ones we love? Why do we have to spend our days with some strangers instead?
Why do we lose the ones we need?
Why is our world so superficial?
Why don’t we have time to feel, to see and understand life?
DEBEMOS APRENDER A VIVIR COMO NIÑOS A SER DESCOMPLICADOS Y NO DEJARNOS EMBARGAR POR LA PRISA DE HACER DINERO, EL AFAN DE QUEDARNOS SIN PAREJA, DE NO SER ACEPTADOS COMO QUEREMOS,TAL VEZ SIN ESAS COMPLICACIONES QUE TENEMOS LOS ADULTOS ENCONTRARIAMOS LA VERDADERA FELICIDAD…
Hello… the idea of that book is an extraordinary one, I hope not only it gets published, but also that he makes a site where we can put all our children (own or from the school class, neighbor’s..) questions…
It was published in France, but I don’t know the French title. You can google the author
Se vc existe Paulo coelho me responda por favor?
respondido. Sim, existo
ola Paulo !il mistero della vita è il più grande in assoluto;x svelare questo mistero,l’unico modo che conosco x farlo e attraverso l’amore,con esso si parla la lingua del cuore,che ti permette di superare tutti gli ostacoli,che la vita ci pone,amore solo amore.un abbraccio
The main reason for our existence is to worship God the Almighty, the creator of all mankind. He created us differnt with different religions so that we may get to know each other and that the Universe be richer and more diverse. I don’t know who the Catholics worship, is it Jesus the God or is it The Almighty? Anyway I won’t go into that, but all religions do focus on the idea of making us better people so that society becomes a pefect place to live as God wants it to be. Unfortunately not what we are experiencing through out the world right now….
I wish when I was child to had just one person who was able to answer on some of those questions.:(
Any of ‘em are easily answered by any reilgious system of thoughts.
Dear Paulo,
How can we contact Mr Jean and know more about his work? Please assist.
With Kind Regards
Sandeep
“J’ai vu un jour a la tele un feuilleton policier dans lequel l’inspecteur qui a elucide le crime est le plus mal organise, le plus brouillon et le non moins conformiste de la brigade. Un jeune sergent se tourne vers lui et lui demande “Mais comment avez-vous trouve? Vous faites toujours n’importe quoi et vous ne suivez jamais les procedures? et il repond :”Il ne faut surtout pas avoir peur de sortir des sentiers battus parce qu’on marche sur un sol que personne n’a foule” et j’ai pense “C’est genial, c’est ce que j’ai fait toute ma vie sans le savoir.” Deepak Chopra
I heard in a movie once that the answers aren’t important, it is the questions you ask.
If you have seen dying somebody close to you, then you feel so empty, so pathetic and so angry towards god/nature. You really wonder where they have gone and do they worry about you the way you worry about them once they are gone. Do they miss you like you miss them? Paulo I really feel that life is like a train journey. You get on the train, some people are already there in the train, some in your bogey, some in your compartment. Some get down before you, some get down with you, some people come close to you in your journey and sometimes you get down from the train before many others.
I am unable to comprehend the meaning of this whole facade. Don’t know what to say.
just be thankfull…..
thankfull for every moment we share,or shared…..
with the people we love…….
in memory no-one dies,we will keep memories of
beloved ones in our mind forever…..
people come and go,it is,was,and has allways been that way…………
like a rollercoaster…..
love
LOVE
the question of that answer…
so diverse and multiple
the why and the how
imagine every action
on this planet and beyond
would find it,s origin
in the true and one and only
together and lonely
the meaning of life
IS?
It is hard question to answer till we are old.
Dear Sir,
Very difficult topic this time in its own sense. Nobody can answer other than God Himself.
Regards,
Minakshi Karan (INDIA)
And God him/herself lives within… we just have to learn how to listen…
If we could just open our heart beyond Right and wrong, we could find that creation is great magic for us to discover and learn, so, we get closer to the comprehension of one…
The Spiral is infinty form south to north, west to east, and now to eternity…
Much love and respect from the Universe…
When I used to be a child , my mind wandered into places I wouldn’t dream of wandering into now. My mind generated alot of questions, some of which I never expressed due to the fear of being a sinner. One such question was if everything has to be created, and God made us then at the beginning when nothing was born how did God come into being?
The question used to make me crazy…. However now I have learned that to some questions there are no answers and they better not be asked!
as a child, i dont remember being encouraged to ask questions about God’s existence or his appearance. i think that even if you do not know how to answer your child’s questions, by asking them, you’ll at least know how they think and feel about things. it can help you understand your child better.
I can see I am into a good schol
Thank you for showing me the way.
A famous Malayalam language writer Ponkunnam Varkey as child was pissing near a church. An angry priest scolded him ” Don’t you know this is God’s home? Go and piss at some other place” The child replied “Then, please show me a place where God isn’t there”. The boy grew up and never went to church afterward!
Yesterday I submitted another comment which had fallen into the … black hole!! Maybe it was not beautifully presented or fully .. understood, dear Paulo Coelho!! ;-]
I said that the only question that matters, since we are babies is: DO YOU LOVE ME? It is our desire to break our ISOLATION in this 3 dimensional world. Only through love we maybe be able to transcend our loneliness, mortality and find an outlet to our energy that fills our heart and being. This ENERGY is what drives us in our PATH towards the LIGHT. It is the .. divine spark of love. Then all answers through HIM, who IS LOVE, will be answered.
All questions and answers are … born, in order to .. find; because Jesus has said: ‘Seek and you will find’.
LOVE,
Thelma xxx
p.s. I have also made a comment about the photo above! It contains more … dimensions!We maybe able to ‘sense’them with our .. super-senses. T.x
Demasiadas preguntas sin respuesta,y miles mas que pudieramos tener, podriamos pasarnos la existencia tratando de obtener respuestas y morir en el intento,es importante pensar no solo en lo plano y lo visible ,es importante tratar de ver un poco mas alla, pero no os compliqueis la vida tratando de poner a dios en una probeta o no te quedara tiempo para pensar o hacer ninguna cosa mas. es mi mas humilde opinion señor coelho, pero gracias por preguntas asi que si bien nadie tiene la respuesta pone a muchos a pensar en algo interesante y usted lo sabe .
Dear Paulo,
I am from India. Other day I saw my little daughter trying to hurt an ant with a pin. It was sure she was getting a lot of pleasure in doing so as the ant was trying to move either ways to save itself…
Well, where did she learn to get such pleasure….. I ignored it… But, being a Jain (we believe and practice non-violance) it was important for me to explain her why not to hurt anyone. Even that ant felt pain..
The next day I took a straw and poked her, once, twice, thrice… It started with fun. But after a few minutes, it started hurting her… She cried..
I narrated her what I saw the other day… And then, she stopped crying. She understood.
Immediatly came a question from her …”Then why do people eat chicken. It also feels pain when killed. They are grown up. Don’t they understand ??”…
I had no answer…
Life is a challange to learn (ourselves – making mistakes), the earth is just a big big classroom. Relationships are our lessons. Sometimes we are not conscious of traps (lessons in disgise)and when we fall it can be so painfull. We are free to choose: believing we are a victim or asking the question: “why is this happening to me?”. So hopefully next time the (bigger) trap is recognisable…….Se, be gratefull for the lessons (traps/relationships/mirrors) and be gentle to yourself: give yourself the great healing gift of for-giving. Love & Peace
It is very difficult to forgive. Soon you will mellow down and reduce your pain.
there are some of the questions that i myself never ask. it seems that lately, i’m so used to be concerned of other unimportant matters that i didn’t notice it what really matters.
thanks, mr. coelho.
Priceless!
Eu ainda não encontrei resposta para nenhuma dessas perguntas… e para tantas outras mais.
Aposto que você tem a resposta para muitas delas :)
Muito obrigada, Paulo <3
Beijos e uma semana abençoada!
nao Patricia, nao tenho nenhuma resposta – graças a Deus.
I wonder if after a day’s preaching to the crowds, at night sitting around a campfire, if the Apostles may have had a few questions for our Lord?
where does intelligence come from?
Once I’m an intelligent being and I’m part of nature then nature is intelligent.
Nature is Planet Earth.
Planet Earth is part of the Universe.
I am the Universe Alive.
“God is the Universe and the Universe is US.” Simply Red
CREO QUE A MEDIDA QUE VAMOS CRECIENDO YA NO NOS PREGUNTAMOS TANTO Y AL NO HACERLO TAMPOCO LO INCULCAMOS.
NO SOY JOVEN NI VIEJA Y AUN ME ESTOY DESCUBRIENDO Y DESCUBRIENDO COSAS , TAL VEZ LAS MISMAS SIEMPRE ESTUVIERON AHI PERO NOS PONEMOS A CUESTIONARNOS CUANDO PASAMOS POR MOMENTOS DIFICILES , ES TRISTE TENER QUE LLEGAR A ESE PUNTO PARA PLANTEARNOS Y DESCUBRIRNOS PERO PIENSO QUE TODO LLEGA A SU TIEMPO Y TAL VEZ NI NOSOTROS MISMOS ESTAMOS PREPARADOS EN CIERTAS OCASIONES COMO PARA ENCONTRAR LAS RESPUESTAS Y LAS PREGUNTAS QUE DEBEMOS HACERNOS.
Y ASI SURGE TAMBIEN SIEMPRE LA PREGUNTA SOBRE SI DIOS EXISTE,SI NOS ACOMPAÑA , SI NOS ESCUCHA PORQUE NO PODEMOS CREER QUE CON TODO LO QUE PASA , EL ESTE AHI MIRANDO……ALGO HE DESCUBIERTO A MI PARECER QUE EL SIEMPRE ESTA AHI SOMOS NOSOTROS QUIENES NO ESTAMOS PARA EL. SIEMPRE CUANDO ALGO MALO ME PASABA LAS PRIMERAS PALABRAS QUE SALIAN DE MI BOCA SIN YO PENSARLO Y EN AQUEL MOMENTO SIN CREER EN NADA ERA RECRIMINARLE A DIOS PORQUE ME ESTABA PASANDO ESTO A MI , LUEGO DE MUCHO TIEMPO BUSQUE A DIOS Y LO BUSCO PORQUE EL ME DA LA PAZ Y LA FUERZA PARA CONTINUAR , NO QUIERO CONVENCER A NADIE DE ELLO , CADA UNO DEBE PASAR POR LA EXPERIENCIA.
Pablo:
Fuí maestra de escuela por 30 años y escuché muchas de las preguntas que Ud plantea, pero una niña de cinco años me preguntó un día: “¿para qué necesitará Dios a mi hermanito que se lo llevó con él?” le respondí que para quererlo mucho y ella refutó: “Puede ser, pero con eso le ha dado demasiada pena a mi papá y a mi mamá” … ¡eso si que no lo pude responder.
Wonderful Paulo! I will take these questions to the kids in our archery-events. Hope we can go one time and practice archery together….
my main question was.. heaven and then whats beyond that? nothing they said nothing.. i thought nothing? how can there be nothing? nothing is something.. is nothing black or? and this world is hanging around in nothing? how can this be? how can be.. ‘nothing’ surrounding us… it made me scared confused and could not understand the logic.. ‘grown ups’ just left it liked that..
i wondered ..many more questions came from that… made me search. explore..
Sétau “instead of offering answers, try to find out what the children want to ask.”
did not always had answers for my daughters, we surched, explore and sometimes i took not enough time to listen… and gave answers instead really listen first.. i know they ‘know’ already much more then me on their age 15 and 20.. i worked with children and young adults with behaviour problems before and often i wondered in this system this kids fall into, they are so little consulted asked whats in their heads.. or when done this..the standard ‘solutions’ were ‘offered’ used.. thanks very much from these answers and realisations that when my daughters or any child i speak with i ask what they want to now, what puzzle them and listen and find answers together or be puzzled together.. thats ok to, that there is not always a answer acceptance brings freedom in some cases
Very interesting questions!
I do have one question myself and my friends and I dont seem to find an answer to it. Maybe you have on?
Are our emotions and feelings linked to God? Is God involved in us having feelings or in us stoping to have feelings or are our emotions completely detached from God?
Thanks,
Sarah
El miedo a mi muy particular punto de vista, nace de la violencia, y al no asumirnos como seres libres amados y con derechos, algunos seres humanos generan el miedo a: ser, a estar, a morir y bueno a lo desconocido por la falta de seguridad. Al tener padres violentos y sin la suficiente capacidad para proteger, y amar a sus hijos y por ende a ellos mismos; generandose lo que se ha dado en llamar el circulo de la violencia.
nice idea, i will try it :)
Thank you what a wonderful idea to post the childrens questions. Krishnamurti was so right that we should not look to politicians,priests,doctors,authority for answers, but look always inside & take responsibility for ourselves & our lives. How great it would be to guide children to find & express their own answers & admit that neither science or religion can answer the great mystery!We must answer more questions with our hearts not our heads & teach children this, your heart has access to much more knowledge than your brain & its magnetic field is much greater!
Thanks, Paolo. Touching, bringing back unanswered questions that still exist, still unanswered. Is it possible that, being tired and maybe frustrated that our childhood questions were never answered, we blocked them and that we have become reluctant to hear them again, from those who make us remember our own childhood and the questions that we asked. Bless those who never stopped asking their questions, who kept them alive!
Maybe we shouldn’t just ask our children what questions they want to get answered for their sake, but for ourselves, to remember.
Thanks, warm greetings, Pim
Thanks, Paolo. Touching, bringing back unanswered questions that still exist, still unanswered. Is it possible that, being tired and maybe frustrated that our childhood questions were never answered, we blocked them and that we have become reluctant to hear them again, from those who remember us our own childhood. Bless those who never stopped asking their questions, who kept them alive!
Maybe we shouldn’t just ask our children wahat questions they want to get answered for their sake, but for ourselves, to remember.
Thanks, warm greetings, Pim
My seven year old son asked us a question thinking of his friends little brother David, who tragically drowned 1,5 months ago. I think this is a page to share his childhood wisdom…
-Mom, what´s the idea with everything?
me: What do You mean?
-I mean, to live and die, what is the meaning of that?
me: thats is a very good question, what do YOU think?
- (thinking for a while) To have fun and to be happy… I am thinking of David now….
Thanks Paulo for a very good blog – It makes me think of the importance of having fun and to be happy…
Anna
I told my daughter that when people die, they turn into a star and watch over their beloved ones.
Suddenly, months later, she said; If all stars are dead people, then… who is the moon???
I love this, Paulo. As a mother and a Coach, I have really learned the importance of listening….and asking questions. This is a lovely way to start a dialogue with our children, about God, life, what’s important, perspective, Soul….beautiful.
Bom dia, Paulo
O livro O Aleph é muito bom e está clarendo o meu caminho para a iluminação, Obrigado por voce existir e ajudar as pessoas a se encontrarem.
Where do we go after we die? Really does it matter that much? Why not just enjoy the life that was given to us right now, that is given every single day when we are blessed with it at our awakening and just consider it a gift, and enjoy your gift while you have it instead of wondering what’s next.
This question , which u ask, sets the framework for how we go about living in this world. If we never thought of the afterlife, we would never hold ourselves accountable for anything…any body would do anything, thinking there is never going to be any accountability. Human biengs are prone to excesses, if we are left to live our life, without the fear of the hereafter, we would rape , kill, steal… It is knowing that we will have to answer God in the hereafter, that we try and do good in this world, and stay happy, and also enjoy life to the fullest!
“1min de lecture : les questions sans reponses Blog de Paulo Coelho
Escaladant un chemin dans les Pyrenees a la recherche d’un endroit pour pratiquer le tir a l’arc, je suis tombe sur un petit camp de l’armee francaise ou j’ai rencontre un colonel qui me demande si je suis l’ecrivain. Et ensuite, surmontant sa timidite presque visible, il me dit qu’il a egalement ecrit un livre et commence a m’expliquer l’origine intriguante de son oeuvre.
Lui et sa femme ont fait des dons pour un enfant lepreux, qui a l’origine vivait en Inde mais fut transfere plus tard en France. Un beau jour, curieux de rencontrer la petite fille, ils sont alles au couvent ou les religieuses s’occupaient de l’enfant. Une des religieuses lui a demande s’il voulait aider avec l’education spirituelle du groupe d’enfants qui habitaient la-bas. Jean-Paul Setau (le nom de l’officier) a repondu qu’il n’avait pas d’experience pour enseigner le catechisme mais qu’il allait y reflechir et demander a Dieu ce qu’il pourrait faire.
Ce soir la, apres avoir fait ses prieres, il entendit la reponse “Au lieu d’offrir des questions, essaie de savoir que les enfants veulent demander.”
A partir de la, Setau a eu l’idee de visiter plusieurs ecoles et demander aux enfants qu’ils ecrivent les questions de telle sorte que les eleves les plus timides oublieraient leur crainte du rejet.
Voici quelques unes d’entre elles:
Ou allons nous une fois mort?
Pourquoi avons-nous peur des etrangers?
Y-a-t’il des Extra Terrestres?
Pourquoi est ce qu’on nait si a la fin on meurt?
Qui a invente la guerre et la joie?
Est-ce que le Seigneur ecoute egalement ceux qui ne croient pas au meme (Catholique) Dieu?
Pourquoi y a t’il des gens pauvres et malades?
Pourquoi Dieu a’t-il cree des moustiques et des mouches?
Pourquoi est-ce que l’ange Guardien n’est pas pres de nous lorsque nous sommes tristes?
Pourquoi aimons-nous certaines personnes et detestons les autres?
Qui a donne les noms aux couleurs?
Si Dieu est au ciel, et ma mere est la-bas aussi parce qu’elle est decedee, comment peut-il etre en vie?
J’espere que des enseignants ou des parents qui lisent cela seront stimules a faire la meme chose. De cette facon, au lieu d’essayer d’imposer notre savoir d’adulte dans l’Univers, nous finirons par nous rappeler de nos questions en tant qu’enfants – et pour lesquelles nous n’avons vraiment jamais recu de reponses.”
Dear Paulo,
How can i learn to answer this kind of questions to a 6 years old little girl? I really dont know what to answer and the questions are every day more difficult!
GOD
God is good. She leaves no one behind. He’s in every one if you let go of your mind. God is here. I see her in you. He’s fighting to choose the right thing to do. God is love. She’s the beat of your heart. He can guide your hand like a work of art. God is strong. She never gives in. Look inside for your spirit and you’ll find him within.
Joe Brown 8-16-2010
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