A man went to trim his hair and beard. As always happens, he and the barber chatted about this and that, until – commenting on a newspaper article about street kids – the barber stated:
- As you can see, this tragedy shows that God doesn’t exist. Don’t you read the papers? So many people suffer, abandoned children, there’s so much crime. If God existed, there wouldn’t be so much suffering.
- You know something? Barbers don’t exist.
- What do you mean, don’t exist? I’m here, and I’m a barber.
- They don’t exist! – insisted the man. – Because if they did, there wouldn’t be people with such longs beards and such tangled hair.
- I can guarantee that barbers do exist. But these people never come in here.
- Exactly! So, in answer to your question, God exists, too. It just so happens that people don’t go to Him. If they did, they would be more giving, and there wouldn’t be so much misery in the world.
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I wish to proove the existence of God. That is my legend.
so work on it
don’t u see the world around u, don’t see the Earth, the space and the sees and the skies they’re all a prove that God exists
look at urself in the mirror how did u get there, how were u born and how did u grow up, it’s all god work and all these are more than enough signs of his existence
who u want to prove the God’s existence for…every individual got his own idea for God…some believe and some just don’t believe the way the believers’ believe..and moreover they shift…there is no single disbeliever…people just change…do u believe by the way??
perfectly said Mr Coelho..it so happens that majority of us just relax on our couches and just complaint ..we hardly ever try to seek the real god by submitting ourselves for a good cause
Yes the Allah exist , he is the one who created the world , we can feel him every ware if we cant see but we can see him in every creature which he made .
my personal experience is that when i close my eyes and concentrate on my heart i hear the sound of heart beat which is ALLAH ALLAH ALLAH …………..
Here goes another INTERESTING CONVERSATION on the same topic…
An atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem science has with God, The Almighty.
He asks one of his new Muslim students to stand and…..
Professor: You are a Muslim, aren’t you, son?
Student: Yes, sir.
Prof: So you believe in God?
Student: Absolutely, sir.
Prof: Is God good?
Student: Sure.
Prof: Is God all-powerful?
Student: Yes.
Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn’t. How is this God good then? Hmmm?
(Student is silent.)
Prof: You can’t answer, can you? Let’s start again, young fella. Is God good?
Student: Yes.
Prof: Is Satan good?
Student: No.
Prof: Where does Satan come from?
Student: From…God…
Prof: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?
Student: Yes.
Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it? And God did make everything. Correct?
Student: Yes.
Prof: So who created evil?
(Student does not answer.)
Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?
Student: Yes, sir.
Prof: So, who created them?
(Student has no answer.)
Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son…Have you ever seen God?
Student: No, sir.
Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God?
Student: No, sir.
Prof: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God? Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter?
Student: No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.
Prof: Yet you still believe in Him?
Student: Yes.
Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student: Nothing. I only have my faith.
Prof: Yes. Faith! And that is the problem science has.
Student: Professor, is there such a thing as heat?
Prof: Yes.
Student: And is there such a thing as cold?
Prof: Yes.
Student: No sir. There isn’t.
(The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)
Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.
(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)
Student: What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?
Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?
Student: You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light….But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it’s called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?
Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man?
Student: Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.
Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how?
Student: Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?
Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.
Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?
(The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument is going.)
Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?
(The class is in uproar.)
Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?
(The class breaks out into laughter.)
Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it?…..No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?
(The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable.)
Prof: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.
Student: That is it sir… The link between man & god is FAITH.
I like this philosophy a lot
this student is the 12 years old Einestine
All is nothing in the eyes of God.
Most of people need God to understand the meaning of their lives because He is the source of love they need to quench their thirst for eternity.
To look for God is the humane way to look for ourselves and realise that He was inside us all along, even though it took a long way to notice it.
God is Love, Go to God = Compassion, we are one Source,energy, Light. if we all as humans connect.. being human.. a human being… lot of people act and react from Ego, are stuck in fear, control and such, we as people amongst each other make war, don’t share, are cruel, mistreat our planet, our world and beyond.. no blame on God on LOVE.. the people behind the religions, the holy books and explanations… use them as guidance.. to fear, blame, judge and proclaim they may kill in name off.. witch is bullshit. Politics, same. Respect, LOVE, Compassion is the KEY to unlock the mind, release it from Ego, get Aware, see everyone as your brother and sister, share, all are equal, we live this life in these form on this Earth.
Soul is eternal.. learn, see, in each others eyes, see.. …not narcissus
God exist, Love exist… it happens not to be a very big money making business… so blame it all on someone else, throw hate around, point fingers, be greedy.. create conflicts..on small scale.. on big scale..
Have a Heart, be Love ..be what is.
“Does God exist? asked the Master to his disciples.”Yes”replied the disciples in chorous.”Wrong” said the Master.”No” shouted the disciples.”Wrong again” said the master.”Then what is the answer? they asked.”There is no answer”
“Why not?”
“Because there is no question”said the Master.
Later he explained it this way.”If you cannot say anything about him who is beyond our understanding,thoughts and words,how can you ask anything about him.
“For those who believe(God’s existence)no explanation is necessary,and for those who don’t believe,no explanation is possible”
Silly argument!!
really inspiring..if u read it somewhere than plz tell me source?
Siento una lástima por tu. Mas no sé como puedo ayudarte.
I am a great admirer of Paulo Coelho for his great positive attitudes. “When u want something really the whole Universe conspires in your favor” is an unforgettable attitude of his positive nature. This beautiful story clearly depicts his idea and talents.
Barbers are there , but I see more beards and hairs on regular visitors too and see no connection to misery and God.Anyhow we exist. Let us live life, according to our consciousness .
just wanna answer u justalavista;; if there is no God as u say;; from where u came!! wht are those creations that we see all aver the world ;; am sorry to say that u are just mistaken;; and if u do nothing to stay colse to God ;; wht’s ur mission in this life ;; i cant imagine myself just eating;; working and living just for living’s sake ;; wht’s ur purpose in this life. many exampls in the bible,, wish u to read it
a very good example,simple but effective ans to guide u to the right path.thank u mr paulo
GOD exists in everything we do..we suffer not because he is not listening or he doesn’t know about that suffering,we suffer because sometimes that misery is caused by us by the other people around us,by our failures of understanding a situation so we need somebody to put a blame on and here we go we choose GOD.
The question that most of the people have raised is that if GOD existed Y HE gives us pain??
HE teaches us how to come out of that misery,and ultimately it will help us in understanding the misery in other peoples’ lives that would need our help ..HE shows us the ugliness behind each thought through pain…
whatever happens is always for good and with God’s will..
Try t fix your problem through your submission to GOD you will get the answer of your suffering try it GOD answers HE ALWAYS ANSWER sometimes late but yes HE ALWAYS ANSWERS
It’s just soooo beautiful story. Nice and simply reflecting our mind stinging-thinking. Thank you Paulo. Its like parable. Will take it as an example to preach others.
I love so much this story God does exist around us any way.Thank you Mr Coehlo for all you write
Paulo I love u:))you are so talented writer
Truly said by the master………..
trato de traducir del ingles al español pero no aparece la traduccion, sin embargo entiendo que el asunto es la existencia de Dios o no, somos seres creados no podemos cuestionar al creador, el asunto del sufrimiento pronto acabará entro a esta tierra por la desobediencia Dios todo lo hiso perfecto pero se le daño el dibujo sin embargo su plan de redencion es perfecto, si nos quedamos quietos, si dejamos que su espiritu nos toque, entonces entenderemos que existe y que es real
Mr. coelho You are an exelent writer, and I love your everyday quotes and reflections. Thank you for reminding people how important is God.
Senor coelho es usted un exelente escritor. Me encantan sus reflecciones diarias y le agradesco que nos recuerde la importancia de nuestro Dios.
Why don’t we call it the energy of good, i believe the energy of good do exsit!!! and if we were to look for it we find it, love do exist and it has energy, why don’t we just think that God is the good and devil is the bad, and that we all have the good and the bad thoughs , we should then connect to the good thoughts and not get lost in between, what makes me sad is that the bad in the air is more than the good these days..
Regards to all
so so so butifull , its simple but rich in meanning and conceptual .
The question is…are you supposed to go around seeking for God or does God give you the heart to find Him? Is it an act of passive or active state?
nice story ..love it so much
actually god does exist in everything around us …does our hearts,bodies even the world around us work as a Coincidence…????god is inside everysingle life we just don’t have the will or the time to ask for him
Well I dont think this is about atheists being good or being bad, like religious people they are not all good, we all know that. It is just a simple story showing a simple way of why a believer can justify his belief system of the existence of God.
very thoughtful one
Good short story that says a whole lot. But for many God is not. When talking of God with people that do not feel like HE exists I use the word LIFE. I haven’t yet heard someone say LIFE doesn’t exist… Maybe if I spoke to the dead and even then, I am sure there is a certain existence in being dead.
So for those of you who want religion out of this, think about it as life. I strongly respect all of peoples beliefs (or disbelief) but you cannot deny LIFE.
it’s really suprising to see how most of us are reasoning but it shoul be very clear to us that God exist in even charles Dawin who tried to prove the theory of evolution and disregad God before he died he said that “I believe there is a suprenatural power behind this universe “so we should know that God do exist.
Darwin did not disregard God. That is a misinterpretation by modern anti-evolutionists; evolutionary thought does not go against the concept of God, in fact, it explains some of the ways that God works.
Cute but extremely simplistic. I guess it’s supposed to be a simple reminder (and goddess is in my life lots), but this ignores the people who suffer regardless of how hard they pray and it assumes that if you’re life is going well and you are happy, you have God in your life, and if you’re suffering, probably all you need to do is find God.
Too easy an answer….good for a cartoon, though.
Some people will say that children are not responsible for the horrible things they have to go through and this is not fair. It is not their fault that they are born in the conditions they are and that their parents or other adults who mistreat them are not close to God. Your barber story doesn t address this.
I disagree. Bad things happen to good people all the time. Bad things happen to those who put God first in their lives and “go to him” on a daily basis. To suggest bad things happen only to those who don’t know God is false and no wonder God gets a bad reputation when people come up with these sorts of interpretations as to why He is God and seemingly still allows bad things to happen. The fact is there are simply many things we don’t know WHY. Life with all it’s good, bad, evil and wonderous things still happen all the time. WHY God allows suffering we don’t have the true answers. That is why some things must simply be left to Him and we must keep our faith. Someday we will have the answers… but blogging about it won’t be necessary then.
Very good points.
i believe in ‘law of nature’!!!!!!!!
we have the CHOICE!!!!!!!!
GOD has many forms….its there in all animate and inanimate objects!!!!!!!!!
VIRTUE and EVIL all is in our hands…..lets be AWARE of reality…..
Je ne suis pas experte en metaphysique mais cette question tellemnt discutee reste sans solution . L existence de DIEU ne peut etre prouvee .Elle est d ordre spirituel, moral ,abstrait .Ou on est croyant ou on ne l est pas .mais que perdons nous si nous sommes croyants ? Au moins nous aurons un refuge dans notre malheur qui nous console et nous soulage en lui attribuant tte la responsabilite de ce qui nous arrive nous disons : “c est la volonte de Dieu “.Parce que devant une situation sans issu nous sommes incapables !!!
Fions nous a Dieu c est mille fois mieux que de nous fier au hasard et au destin .
Mais si l on va dire si Dieu existe il ne permet que de mauvaises choses arrivent ,la ,je ne sais quoi repondre moi je fais mon devoir de croyante et je laisse faire a DIEU !!!
Love the story of “barbers don’t exist”it explains it very, very well. Thank You so much Paul.
The questions will continue to be asked, until we start to take responsibility for everyone of our actions and the blaming stops but for that it takes a lot of Love and Compassion for one self.
Sending You lots of Love and light from my heart to Yours.
The man on the chair has become a believer now. Why is he so angry then?
awesome!!!!! Really true just like ur books…..
how is dis story anyhow related 2 d existence of GOD…………..I don’t find dis story impressive enough 2 prove the existence of GOD…….
God is a concept needed by humanity, it balances this planet, but with a deep observation of the universe and creation.. The existing major religions, and the way humans picture God is just trivial.
IF THERE WAS A DISLIKE BUTTON, I WOULD HAVE PRESSED IT FOR YOUR COMENT
This is typical religious drivel… one cannot explain the existence or the lack of a god through such bed-time stories.
I am an atheist, yet I don’t cheat, steal, kill, pillage, rape, etc. Why does being a good human being have anything to do with religion? If anything, I believe I am good because I was raised to be good – nothing to do with religion. Morality has nothing to do with religion or the existance of god. The world would be a lot better place if we stopped talking about god and instead focused on being good people. We all learn moral values as children in school or through our parents.
Belief systems are left open to mis-interpretation, where as moral codes aren’t – you either have good or bad – there is no gray area. In religion you have the ability to decipher ‘god’s word’ in whatever convoluted manner you want, hence the existence of religious fanatics.
Mr. Coelho, I am a big fan of your work, I think you should stick with fiction – that’s your core competence. Let’s leave the preaching to the priests.
Exactly mister….
There has been so much misery in the name of good…The Arab world sets the best example. People killing each other in the name of good. If only they had moral values and a good upbringing …there would have been a peaceful world…No need of god in this already chaotic and complex world
i absolutely agree on your opinion on being a good human and the connection with religion. you got it
Who said you were bad? There are just different beliefs; you have to respect that just like everybody respects that you’re an atheist. :)
Astalavista: To preach or more appropriatety, to speak on a religious matter, is a choice with every one exactly the way you have a choice to be an atheist..yes, it is written nowhere that morality has anything to do with religions..I salute your goodness but pls do not take away the right to express from Mr. Coelho
This is not about religion, you don’t have to be religious to believe in God…its called spirituality
sorry if i dare to answer…we can stop talk about God but He won’t stop existing…
And i can reassure you it’s got nothing to do with religion which was made by man and God made man.. sorry it’s the reality. I respect mr P. Coelho because he is an intelligent human being who doen’t try to intellectualise God like some of us do….
Greetings!
a few thoughts…
first, this is fiction. parables usually are.
second, no one said that being a good person had anything to do with belief in God. this parable simply illustrates that if more people went to God, more people would live by that moral code, which is honest and good. It didn’t say those are the only honest and good people. (Long haired people aren’t bad people, they just didn’t go to the barber to learn their goodness). Lots of people find strength in God. Why is that bad? (for the record, i’m a Christmas and Easter church-goer)
and third, i’m sure mr. coelho appreciates your telling him that you are a big fan of his work and reminding him what is core competence is. i’m sure your opinion means a lot.
well said.
At least a topic has been raised that has had some very insightful posts. A lot of us here don’t completely agree with the story, but I’m enjoying hearing about everyone’s beliefs on this. Maybe Paulo wrote the story for the purpose of discussion, I’m not sure. Otherwise the last statement in the story is a little off because people do go to God sometimes and still do not get heard or answered. Good people get frustrated because despite all the good they do, life still seems to mostly be an uphill battle.
Yo soy catolica, pero estoy de acuerdo contigo.
La gente es buena porque asi la educaron, eso fue lo vio, fue los principios que le enseñaron en su familia.
Y degraciadamente, los mas terribles actos del hombre se han hecho en nombre de dios, creen que con eso van a estar excentos de su pecado.
agree in majority with what astalavista said though trying to be open-minded allow the option that might be just the real god is not what religion teaches but something else…? that because simply don’t believe ALMIGHTY, WHOLE LOVE GOD would allow bad things to happen just to have pleasure of being a judge of its own creatures since he could avoid it… so all beloved are not segregated for those who completed the test and those who did not. it is not LOVE to punish someone for failure and it is not good god if he would allow someone to fail or to be doomed to be bad from beginning.
I completely agree with Astalavista’s views.
I understand your answer, and as Christian, I do believe in God but I also agree with some of your points.
First, is funny because when someone mentions the topic “God” people always believe that easy and very informal writings such as this aren’t enough to explain about God’s existence, but in reality God is just as simple as you want to see it or not. This little story isn’t new for me and besides the fact that I love Coelho’s writings, at least for me I don’t take his writings as merely fiction, but as inspirational devotions to make of my time on earth the best in good and bad times. Just as this writing. God exist, because there is also evil in this world. and I know as humans since our early steps as socities we have been taught to have good morals and prevent the bad. But we cannot deny our human nature and in this, we also prove God’s existence. We are draw to do the bad, like the bad. And I know we can be good people by our own will, but is a daily effort to prevent us from our sinned nature. I respect you as atheist and my interest is in not way to try to be a fanatic or convert you. My God taught me that part of his love is to accept and respect other’s beliefs. And a little secret… His name may not be Good but I am pretty sure that you can feel his presence, maybe in the wind, rain, darkness, etc. Have a good life :)
I love this comment. Only a restoring thought is that God is inside us, it is our hearts and minds. Not the third party that we all the sudden look for attention. God is the energy that we were given upon birth and keep receiving from people with beautiful minds and warm hearts.
I am not atheist but I agree with your views.
Astavista, what a terrific explanation! I am also an atheist like you, and like you, I am also a good human being.God or the whole concept of religion is based on man’s inability to answer questions which have intrigued him from ages. But now we have the answers to most of those questions: how the world was created, what is universe and time, what happens after death?etc,etc. Science has answers to most of them, and we do not need any religious doctrine to give us answers. But unfortunately, the world is full of people who like to believe in something that has no explanation, something which they have inherited from their parents and they do not have the courage or rationality, maybe due to society or peers to raise questions about.
i agree one hundred percent with you Astalavista…..the fundamental question is , if God will alleviate your misery if you asked him to, where did the misery ORIGINALLY come from……..and why????
You have just said ” I believe I am good…”. You do not have to go to church to be religious. You believe in your heart, and thats enough.
Dear Astalavista
It’s an obligation for every human to teach others about good and evil. So, I don’t agree with you that Mr. Coelho doesn’t have to talk in religion subject, because I’m sure that his small example has a very good influence on lot of people, and exactly you, and the proof is that he moved something defensive in you because you don’t believe in God and made you think about God’s existance.
One question I hope you can answer: Who gave you life, and who will take it from you?
Nobody on earth can do it. Only God is our finder, and our life is upon his will, he gave us all good things we enjoy such as our brain, eyes, magical body and a wonderful nature around us to live in.
All he asks us to do in return is to accept these facts and thank him for them by living a good life without evil (such the one you’re living).
God bless you.
Heyyy, you are good caused you are raised good???? Execuseme from where morality came , how we know that this is good deed and this bad???? All this information was taken from divine book and divine book from god , srange how athesist think . I am sure that you from deep inside know that there is god but you ppl your ego and pride preventyou from admit this !!!!!! Ha let us see if adisaster happen to you let us say you drown in the sea you will ask who to help you , haaa your goodness that you know by your self !!!! Bulshit I chalenge you that the first one will came to your mind is god. strange how all the evedince , the sky , the earth ، your body not guid you to god . Ha human are stubid and weak and follow devil . Look to your self I chalnge you to control your heart!! Your feeling!!! Even this under control of god . you can not even decide to be healthy or to have dieased cause even your body not yours , you cannot decide and you don’t know when you will die cause all this in the hand of god , I am sure you ppl and your soul are suffering all the time cause the soul know that there is god and you prevent her to worship him . there is God and only one god .
El que busca encuentra. Dios solo esta esperando a que lo busques.
Awesome story!!
A beautiful rendition of the manifestation of God but I have a little doubt. If God does exist then he is present everywhere and someone doesn’t need to go to him. He is God, he must be knowing every single person suffering in this world.
I always do believe that God exist…but sometimes when I suffer or when somebody from my family suffer I am…so bad that He doesn’t do anything…Then I need Him so much and I do not feel Him…
To turn to god is a temporary fix. To really sort out your life you need to be comfortable with yourself, as you are. To believe in a thought up deity that loves you unconditionally only replaces the real life unconditional love that exists in those close to you.
In retrospect, this thought up deity really makes a difference for those having a hard time in this world.
however.
What these people really need is to be loved in THIS world, not the next.
Great story!
this is so true.. we dont go bow before God and expect him to solve our every problem…
I believe that the majority of bad things that happen in the world are the work of the Devil and that he does these things to test God’s power and the Human strength in God. The Devil has the potential to reach into everyone of us but we have the bigger potential to keep him out.I love the story. xx
i like what you said.we must not leave our mind free to allow the devil to come there and establish his kingdom.i agree with it.
EU ACREDITO CHE ESISTE UNA FORZA MUITO GRANDE NEL UNIVERSO, E GUESTA FORZA E DEUS.E MI FAI PENSAR CHE SE TODOS OS POVOS DO MUNDO INTEIRO CREDECE UM POQUINHO A MAIS,NON ESISTIRIA TANTA MISERIA.PAZ
from where do you find these stories.
So nice.
an interesting way to show that if you cant observe something it does’nt mean it ain’t exist. Here is a translation of a poem by the great Iranian (PERSIAN) poet “HAFEZ”
“YOU ARE PURE; WE HAVE NOT KNOWN YOU AZ IT BEFITS YOU
HOW CAN ANY EYE COME TO SEE YOU AZ YOU ARE
ONE PERSEIVES YOU ONLY TO THE EXTENT OF HIS INSIGHT”
agree. “if you can’t observe something, it doesn’t mean it isn’t exist” ->it’s all the story is about.
I wonder why throughout history mankind has constructed an image of God in the likeness of a human…A God that makes mistakes, a God that is angry if you dont worship Him, a God that uses Judgement to punish or reward you…
How abt If God was just not all of these above attributes…?Is too overwhelming?
Is the misery n tragedy prevailing God’s work, or own own actions? Why do we need an escape goat when things go wrong?
sorry i don t agree with “What surprises you most about humankind?”
God is never surprised about us, bcz he is the one how creates us , how knows us , he knows everything about us .
God is never surprised about anything bcz he is the perfect.
Nice story…!!!
now many people go to evil instead of god how can help him to go to god?
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