An excerpt from Coelho

This is an excerpt from Coelho's famous book 'Like the flowing river' that I think I would like to remember for ever. So I am typing it out. It is from the article 'The Art Of Trying'. I know my blog is looking like a Coelho book of late, but I can't help it. His writing is captivating and thought-provoking, at the same time being simple and understandable. I can truly relate to his philosophy. I read this piece and I could only say 'Wow'! Here goes:

When we decide to act, some excesses may occur. An old culinary adage says : "You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs." It is also natural that unexpected conflicts should arise, and it is natural that wounds may be inflicted during those conflicts. The wounds pass, and only the scars remain.

This is a blessing. These scars stay with us throughout our life and are very helpful. If, at some point - simply because it would make our life easier, or for whatever other reason - the desire to return to the past becomes very great, we need only look at those scars. They are the marks left by our handcuffs, and will remind us of the horrors of prison, and we will keep walking straight ahead.

So, relax. Let the universe move around you and discover the joy of surprising yourself. "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise," says St. Paul.

A warrior of light often finds that certain moments repeat themselves. He is often faced by the same problems and situations and, seeing these difficult situations return, he grows depressed, thinking that he is incapable of making progress in life.

"I've been through all this before," he says to his heart.

"Yes, you've been through all this before," replies his heart. "But you have never been beyond it."

Then the warrior realises that these repeated experiences have but one aim : to teach him what he has not yet learned. He always finds a different solution for each repeated battle, and he does not consider his failures to be mistakes but, rather, as steps along the path to a meeting with himself.

Realisations

My arms feel heavy,
My legs feel leaden,
My eyes feel weary,
My heart feels wooden,
There is an emptiness
Where there should be happiness,
I feel unfulfilled
In the midst of plenty;

I look around me
And find
I have been carrying
The carcass of my dreams
For too long,
I have not mourned
The death of my hopes
For too long,
I have been existing
Without living
For too long,
I have not allowed my eyes
To cleanse my heart
For too long....

A fable on love

I read this beautiful fable in "Like the flowing river" by Paulo Coelho. I found very sweet and touching, so I am posting it on my blog:


The Cloud and the sand dune

A young cloud was born in the midst of a great storm over the Mediterranean Sea, but he did not even have time to grow up there, for a strong wind pushed all the clouds over towards Africa.


As soon as the clouds reached the continent, the climate changed. A bright sun was shining in the sky and, stretched out between them, lay the golden sands of the Sahara. Since it almost never rains in the desert, the wind continued pushing the clouds towards the forests in the south.





Meanwhile, as it happens with young humans too, the young cloud decided to leave his parents and his older friends in order to discover the world.



"What are you doing?," cried the wind. "The desert's the same all over. Rejoin the other clouds, and we'll go to Central Africa where there are amazing mountains and trees!"



But the young cloud, a natural rebel, refused to obey, and, gradually, he dropped down until he found a gentle, generous breeze that allowed him to hover over the golden sands. After much toing and froing, he noticed that one of the dunes was smiling at him.



He saw that the dune was also young, newly formed by the wind that had just passed over. He
fell in love with her golden hair right there and then.

"Good morning," he said. "What's life like down there?"

"I have the company of the other dunes, of the sun and the wind, and of the caravans that occasionally pass through here. Sometimes it's really hot, but it's still bearable. What's life like up there?"


"We have the sun and wind too, but the good thing is that I can travel across the sky and see more things."


"For me," said the dune, "life is short. When the wind returns from the forests, I will disappear."


"And does that make you sad?"


"It makes me feel that I have no purpose in life."


"I feel the same. As soon as another wind comes along, I'll go south and be transformed into rain; but that is my destiny."


The dune hesitated for a moment, then said:


"Did you know that here in the desert, we call the rain paradise?"


"I had no idea I could ever be that important," said the cloud proudly.

"I've heard that older dunes tell stories about the rain. They say that, after the rain, we are all covered with grass and flowers. But I'll never experience that, because in the desert it rains so rarely."

It was the cloud's turn to hesitate now. Then he smiled broadly and said:


"If you like, I could rain on you now. I know I've only just got here, but I love you, and I'd like to stay here for ever."

"When I first saw you up in the sky, I fell in love with you too," said the dune. "But if you transform your lovely white hair into rain, you will die."


"Love never dies," said the dune. "It is transformed, and, besides, I want to show you what paradise is like."


And he began to caress the dune with little drops of rain, so that they could stay together for longer, until a rainbow appeared.


The following day, the little dune was covered in flowers. Other clouds that passed over, heading for Africa, thought that it must be part of the forest they were looking for and scattered more rain. Twenty years later, the dune had been transformed into an oasis that refreshed travellers with the shade of its trees.

And, all because, one day, a cloud fell in love, and was not afraid to give his life for that love.


A beautiful way of expressing that true love is selfless and it transforms....

True friendship

A beautiful quote on friendship that I came across on the net. How true this is! A true friend is one with whom you can discuss anything, with complete trust and ease. Without fear that you will be misinterpreted. One with whom you can be your true self, without wearing a mask. And yet be sure that you are loved...

The K world

This post is about the K world, the oh-so-famous world of Ektaa Kapoor's K serials. Well, I've never had the privilege (?) of watching these sagas of emotions that are world-famous and that go on for years and years together. I just sometimes happen to catch a glimpse of these dramas, as the home manager and her other companions in the family watch them on a regular basis. I must say, coming up with a number of K titles is an innovative task. However, some things never change in these serials. My humble observations on the working of the K world:

1) Generations may come and generations may go, but the grand old lady of the house goes on for ever. Would love to know the secret of her long life!!!!!!!!

2) The hero and the heroine do not like each other, but it is always circumstances that cause them to get married. And after marriage, they discover that they are soulmates.

3) The heroine's past lover always enters her happy married life. And he always finds a way to befriend the heroine's husband and comes to live with them in their house.

4) However middle class a family might be, the heroine always has money to spend on clothes of the latest fashion and matching jewellery.

5) The ladies will always be perfectly made up, irrespective of sickness or grief. Even when the heroine is in hospital, she will have eyeliner and lipstick and rouge on. She goes to bed looking pretty and wakes up looking pretty. Not even her lipstick is smudged.

6) Most of the people have their own signature style of dressing. They are always found dressed in that style. Heard of Shanti bindi, Kashish salwar kameez and so on?

7) You can know that a certain person is the bad guy/girl by the eerie music playing in the background when he/she makes an entry. The bad girl can also be identified on the basis of her makeup. She is the one with long nails painted in scarlet and garish, silvery eyeshadow.

8) Any little occasion in the house and it is time for a grand party!!!!!!!!!!!!!

9) When a person grows older, there is no change in his/her skin or posture. A few patches of grey appear in the hair and spectacles are added.

10) Bollywood film songs can play in the background at any time, any place!!!!!!!!

11) A lady can have 2-3 kids and still slim, trim and beautiful!

12) Each single festival and each single Pooja has to be celebrated lavishly in the family!

Certain scenes and dialogues in these serials are such that one cannot help but LOL! But, Ektaa Kapoor does rock in a majority of the homes in India. So, for now, the sagas continue........

Waiting for liberation

O Lord of the Universe,

Hear my plea,

I have no one to turn to

But for thee,

My soul is weary,

Liberate me,

It pains my heart to see

The pain of my sisters,

Little, cherubic angels

Abandoned in the cold world,

To fight it alone,

Left in the wide, wide world

To fend for themselves,

Little angels like me

Snuffed out in their mother's womb,

Denied a life which is but their due right,

Disallowed to see the light of day,

My sisters ill treated,

Abused, scorned,

Forced to strip

To show their grief,

O great Lord of the Universe,

This I ask of thee,

Lord, sow the seeds of compassion

In people's minds,

Lord, let there be justice,

Let there be light,

Lord, let there be a smile

On the faces of all angels,

Lord, let there be true liberation

For the girl child.

It is really painful to see the society still bound by old traditions, customs and beliefs in these modern times when everything is changing. It is painful to hear about the plight of some young girls and ladies even today, whose only fault was that they were born a girl.

Read this and this and this.

Dearly beloved

Pata nahi kyon, kuch kuch dard sa hai,

Shayad unhe kahin thokar lagi hai....