I am always struggling with myself, but I am very optimistic in this sense.
People are realizing more and more that happiness is freedom, and freedom is to be able to “travel light”, not possessing a lot of things, because at the end of the day, the things start to possess you.
I remember that I considered to buy a castle here in France: I went to see some.
One day I realized that if I buy a castle, I cannot think about anything but taking care of it. Therefore, I bought a small watermill, so to keep it is very easy, and I have time to go to the mountains, to walk, do spend my life in the way that I would like. In short: the less you have to keep, the more you have in freedom.
If I look back at my life I see many occasions where society tried to make me conform to “normality”. This resulted in three hospitalizations in an asylum when I was a teenager (which I describe in my book Veronika decides to die), torture when I was a young adult by the hands of the paramilitaries, and many defeats.
You could look at these experiences and say “Paulo’s life is tragic” but I don’t see it that way.
What I do see is someone trying to remain true to oneself. Yes there is a price but I believe that life tends to be very generous to those that are brave enough to take these risks.
In a word, I’ve always had faith in life, even when I thought “God forgot me”.
Be happy with your contradictions.
I always wanted to be Ajay Devgun of ” Hum dil de chuke sanam ” but in real life ended up being Salmaan which I never wanted to be….
Paulo you r right Be happy with your contradictions ….
Thank you Paulo, You are right, but it is hard to dispose of the items that have wonderful memories and are collected through the years. I don’t have many left, as I wrote in my book, “Love From the Other Side” I lost everything. The memories are still with me. I recently purchased two of your books, Veronika Decides to Die and The Alchemist. I’m waiting for a quiet time to read them. Blessings, Carol
Why dont you write a book ? You are very good at your writing and human emotions as well . Afterall
“Lovers Lunatics and Poets are made of the same stuff ” said Bhagat singh ..
when i read your posts i imagine that you are talking to me and begin wimming in magic world, as you say be honest with yourself
Paulo, your truth of freedom is something we all need to heed. Blessings.
Dear sir,
I read “Veronika decides to die…”….almost 2 years back and perhaps its the best book i have read in my lifetime.
During those days i was going through a very bad phase of my life…..but this book has made me feel…..how much precious and beautiful is life…..so no point in getting depressed….whatever may be the circumstances…..we all need to be brave and come out of those situations.
So sir, my whole hearted thanks to you…..for writing such a nice book….and showing me a totally different way to lead my life.
Regards,
Somdatta Paul.
India.
Dear Ana ,
are not you building a world of your own inside you . From your above comment it seems as if you are quite in secured , may be I may be wrong. here are few lines from Paulos “Veronica Decides to Die”. ” Certain people, in their anxiety to build a world where no outside threat could penetrate, increase exaggeratedly their defenses against the outside – strangers, new places, different experiences – and leave the inside unprotected. It is then that Bitterness begins to cause irreversible harm “The biggest target of Bitterness (or Vitriol, as the doctor of my book preferred) is desire. People attacked by this evil begin losing their desire for everything and in a few years are unable to go outside their world – because they have used up enormous energy reserves building high walls for the reality to be what they wanted it to be.
JUST CHECK IF IT IS SUCH & BE WARE OF THIS BITTERNESS . LET NOT IT BUILD A SEPARATE WORLD OF YOUR OWN INSIDE YOU. THANKS ,
Abey .
Normality is a phenomenon bench marked to a designated set; be it behavior, life, reactions or choices. Everybody has his own definition of normality and he keeps on conforming to it. As soon as a decision is taken and acted upon, it becomes normal to the person. That’s the reality for the doer. Reality, Normality, Goodness….these are all bench marked on some social values. And to go on the path of discovery we have to loosen the control and find our own definitions.
Aditee you are very correct these all are relative terms…. for you it may be Normal but for society or others it may be Abnormal…. All Great people wither it was Einstein , Plato , Aristotle , Galileo , Shakesphere , Gandhi ji, even Paulo had to face this Trial of being Normal in some or the other way ….. What I feel is if you think something different or if you discover something new , people do not accept it easily … they are habituated to their own thought process , they are afraid of coming out of the age old beliefs … they don’t want to change , instead the people who do it …are called rebellions or abnormal… but as soon as it comes to judgmental grounds its finally accepted and accepted to a level that this is correct and every thing earlier was fake was false … But lot of hardship is faced in proving oneself normal….. unfortunately one has to face Trials for thinking something New something Different…..These doers (as you name them) have to pay the Price in the form of these Trials… Yes you are absolutely Right in the path of Discoveries many Definitions loose their meanings , many get amended and many New Definitions are formed…..
so true, our purpose is to exist…and the more we possess,the more the same things or people possess us and the less we are able to exist. We must travel with only those things that are necessary. Lord grant us the wisdom to differentiate between neccessity and desire.
Brilliant!
I was once told by a teacher that one of his friends in army was held by the enemy as a prisoner and the one lesson that he learnt from his experience was simple:
For living, you require very few things.
(And he numbered them to be less than 10!)
We are just fooled by the advertisements and the products!
You are the best teacher one could ask for! thanks for existing , seriously !
Super awesome! S
Marvelous, I really learn from you.
thnx.
i love your comments…
Sir, hw can u say so ?? I myself have inculcated a strong aversion towards life..indeed life always favours d challengers…..i’ve underwent many trials & tribulation even nw 2, i m under such condition..i m totally distressed
So simple … ‘travel light’
Thank you
yes, a lot of bad moments resulted in later great outcomes in my life.
Thank you
I have learnt in life that I was the happiest when I surrendered my wishes to the my creator, Allah.
And I was also happy when I had to face real life problems. I only have trouble staying glad when everything is going right. It is like the mind’s urge to be create problems then, as if it just doesn’t like not facing agony.
That is the biggest struggle I face too! I don’t know if it is because I don’t believe I am worthy of happiness or I just know how to handle strife better.
I think it is because happiness gets boring for the brain. Haha!
I think we are habituated to ” inner struggles ” … that’s why you say you have trouble staying glad when everything is going right even…. that’s why Paulo says “BE HAPPY WITH YOUR CONTRADICTIONS”….. Its clear that despite of whatever inner struggles we are facing we have to remain happy with it …… Happiness has been very well defined by one of the Indian Spiritual Guru as … “IF YOU WANT TO BE SAD , NO ONE IN THIS WORLD CAN MAKE YOU HAPPY , BUT IF YOU MAKE UP YOUR MIND TO BE HAPPY NO ONE AND NOTHING ON EARTH CAN TAKE THAT HAPPINESS FROM YOU” ( BY PARAM HANS YOGANANDA).
Verdade, Verdadeira!
So many are struggling with this these days. I have suffered as well and the hardest part was breaking free of what others made of me and when older, didn’t have the knowledge to work with what I became. I gave up in the end, so very tired but I was fighting what people wanted me to be in order to become what I was born to be in my heart and soul. Something would not let me go from here, maybe my true self burst through at last. I am here and I am moving toward the light of life. Namaste
everytime I read sumthin frm Paulo Coelho.. I feel releived tat I m nt insane n if I m insane then its nt wrng to be so.. coz I m atleast true to myself..!
Thank you for teaching me things about life, through your wonderful stories, that at 71 I still hadn’t figured out.
Hi Pat…..wither it is 17 or 71 Paulo has bunch of wonderful stories for every one…. Paulo says…..“We are travelers on a cosmic journey,stardust,swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.” …So forget the worries stop figuring out the contradictions and inner struggles you may be carrying at this age….. TRAVEL LIGHT & ENJOY THE COSMIC JOURNEY WITH A GOOD READ OF PAULOS TREASURE …….
The “bad” helps us to recognize and appreciate the “good.” My own path has shown me that immense struggles mean great triumphs. Every experience being a bit of knowledge which can empower and enlighten. Pain and suffering allows teachers to understand the human condition so they may share their gifts as you have done. The darker it is around you, the brighter you shine.
Tnx for da word. i Nver for got what I belief that 1 day we wl dye. ol we had in dz world we wl left them. only our soul they wl journey,so be thankful wt we had now,I really tnx God for all da trial,blessing,opportunity that has given me ryt nw. Thank you SiR, PAULO
Being true to ourselves is perhaps one of the biggest challenges that we have to face, specially when integrated in the wrong environment.
But the satisfaction of being aligned with your inner self is perhaps the most rewarding virtue that you can feel specially when things get tough.
Despite the adversity, I refuse to adjust to an environment where mediocrity is the reference to consider people within the Gauss curve. Under this conditions, being an outsider isn’t exactly a bad thing…
I’ve learned from experience that resilience is a key point to overcome adverse situations while trying to make your own path. However you can only genuinely feelit if you follow your beliefs and remain faithful to your real self. Don’ let others change it and dare to be different when you feel it’s the right way!
I am enthralled with flare of your conviction and thought process…. Hats off Ana….lovely selection of words too….
Dear Ana ,
are not you building a world of your own inside you . From your above comment it seems as if you are quite in secured , may be I may be wrong. here are few lines from Paulos “Veronica Decides to Die”. ” Certain people, in their anxiety to build a world where no outside threat could penetrate, increase exaggeratedly their defenses against the outside – strangers, new places, different experiences – and leave the inside unprotected. It is then that Bitterness begins to cause irreversible harm “The biggest target of Bitterness (or Vitriol, as the doctor of my book preferred) is desire. People attacked by this evil begin losing their desire for everything and in a few years are unable to go outside their world – because they have used up enormous energy reserves building high walls for the reality to be what they wanted it to be.
The biggest target of Bitterness (or Vitriol, as the doctor of my book preferred) is desire. People attacked by this evil begin losing their desire for everything and in a few years are unable to go outside their world – because they have used up enormous energy reserves building high walls for the reality to be what they wanted it to be.”
JUST CHECK IF IT IS SUCH & BE WARE OF THIS BITTERNESS . LET NOT IT BUILD A SEPARATE WORLD OF YOUR OWN INSIDE YOU. THANK YOU,
Abey .
Thanks for this powerful message Paulo ! :) x
Thank you! I really needed to hear this today.
I agree completely with you. I realised the importance to being true to oneself after I had been saved by the clock, during an attempt to take my own life, when I was a teen, struggling with being bullied and the absence of my father. I realised the only one who had the capability to make and keep me happy, was myself. And I could only do so, by listening to myself.
I am now a practising counsellor. Thank you for your wonderful posts, for they have increased my level of self-awareness and contributed to keeping me in tune with myself :)
I am happy I chose you as a friend on facebook, i only read one book from you, and i do not need to read more although i would like to when it will happen. I know that you are a good person, I feel it and know it. You are inspirational to me and it really helps now, when I am going through something profound in my life. It hurts me, if only for a little time as tomorrow I might not be thinking about you, that you had to suffer so much but I am happy that you want to be happy and you will make yourself happy because that’s what you are after. It seems that you are happy a lot. I am really trying to embrace my contradictions right now. I know good has come out of my struggle right now already although i am not getting all i really want. Time will help, i want to give myself a lot of time no matter how pressing it seems that i need to act. I could go on and on, but enough. Happy day to you.
Thank U ! I needed to hear this !!! Be true to myself…Yes sir I am !!!
Not everybody is happy with my choises, others ask questions, but I am true to myself and that’s the only thing that matters !!!
Paulo una vez más nos acercás esas experiencias…con las que nos hacés sentir cercanos y que no estamos solos. Es muy cierto nos quieren hacer convencer de conformidad y normalidad son los mismo….quién puede decir tal?
Y yo pensaba que sólo yo sentía eso… y en Verónika…una maravilla, para mí como tu fiel lectora es hasta ahora el mejor libro, y cuando uno siente que pierde el rumbo de ser fiel a uno…en tus palabras encoeutnro la guía…Muchas Gracias por compartir tu don.
Macarena
Thank you!
O que vejo é alguém tentando permanecer fiel a si mesmo. Sim, há um preço, mas acredito que a vida tende a ser muito generoso com aqueles que são corajosos o suficiente para assumir esses riscos. ”
Então Paulo, o preço da sua citação a cima é caro sim, sou corajosa sim, assumo o risco sim, ao contrario de ti belo dia pensei “Deus esqueci que tu existe.” Então ele foi generoso em me aconchegar no colo e aliviar-me alguns percalços da vida.
Paulo, bacana que ao contar suas experiencias de vida relatas com simplicidade
“O que vejo é alguém tentando permanecer fiel a si mesmo. Sim, há um preço, mas acredito que a vida tende a ser muito generoso com aqueles que são corajosos o suficiente para assumir esses riscos. ”
Então Paulo, o preço da sua citação a cima é caro sim, sou corajosa sim, assumo o risco sim, ao contrario de ti belo dia pensei “Deus esqueci que tu existe.” Então ele foi generoso em me aconchegar no colo e aliviar-me alguns percalços da vida.
Paulo, bacana que ao contar suas experiencias de vida relatas com simplicidade.
I know this is not original… but just so fitting…
Thank you and the angels for this supporting message at the right time for me. This is exactly what I need to do. I am already on my way……. and everthing is canging: my view of the world, of other people and – most important- of myself. Step by step I become the person who I am in my deepest essence. I red every book you wrote and this was beginning of the (not easy) journey of my life. MUCHAS GRACIAS A TI!
This is so well done by someone who really loves the book and the movie, Veronika decides to die:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTvXxUZgDcs&feature=colike
Not many views but so good, a real hidden gem.
With sun from Sweden,
Arto Hutto
http://www.facebook.com/artohutto
Great wisdom….
Excellent. We should always be true to ourselves and our beliefs.
” Be happy with your contradiction” what a beautiful saying.
Good morning Paulo Thank you so very much for ur words they got me back in track. I wishe you a long life full of prosperaty:-)
Dear Paulo,
I haven’t read all your books yet, but what ever i have read so far I relate a lot of things to my own life. Right now I am reading the books-Aleph and Like the Flowing River….At any state of my mind I just randomly open a page of the “Like the flowing River” I find a peice of suggestion, option or choice. i am likeing the book so much.