Paulo Coelho

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20 SEC READING: May we be forgotten

Author: Paulo Coelho

EM PORTUGUES AQUI: Que sejamos esquecidos

At the Sceta monastery, the abbot Lucas gathered the monks for the sermon.

– May you never be remembered – he said.

– What do you mean? – replied one of the brothers. – May our example not help those who might need it?

– In the days when everything was just, no one paid attention to exemplary people – answered the abbot. – Everyone gave their best, without pretensions, and so fulfilled their duty to their fellow men.
“They loved their neighbor because they understood that this was part of life, and they thought nothing of respecting a law of nature.
“They shared their possessions in order not to accumulate more than they could carry, since journeys last a lifetime.
“They lived together in freedom, giving and receiving, without demanding or blaming anything on others.
“That is why their deeds were not handed down, and there is no story known about them.

“I hope we can achieve the same thing in the present: to make goodness such a common thing, that there is no need to exalt those who practice it.”

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