Paulo Coelho

Stories & Reflections

Pay more attention, because here I am

Author: Paulo Coelho

We forget that the world is what we imagine it to be.
We stop being the moonlight and become, instead, the pool of water reflecting it.
Tomorrow, the water will evaporate in the sun. And all because, one day, someone said: ‘You are ugly.’ Or: ‘She is pretty.’ With those three simple words, they stole away all our self-confidence.
And we become ugly and embittered.

At that moment, we can draw comfort from so-called ‘wisdom’, an accumulation of ideas put together by people wishing to define the world, instead of respecting the mystery of life.
This ‘wisdom’ consists of all the unnecessary rules, regulations and measurements intended to establish a standard of behaviour.

According to that false wisdom, we should not be concerned about beauty because it is superficial and ephemeral.

That isn’t true. All the beings created under the sun, from birds to mountains, from flowers to rivers, reflect the miracle of creation.

If we resist the temptation to allow other people to define who we are, then we will gradually be able to let the sun inside our own soul shine forth.
Love passes by and says: ‘I never noticed you before.’

And our soul responds:
‘Well, pay more attention, because here I am. It took a breeze to blow the dust from your eyes, but now that you have recognised me, don’t leave me again, because all of us desire beauty.’
 
 
taken from THE MANUSCRIPT FOUND IN ACCRA

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