Today is Valentine’s day and I thought it would be appropriate I share a very interesting piece from my favourite author Paulo Coelho. Incidentally this piece is from the book “The Alchemist” a book which I dare say changed my perception of life and made me realize that “one’s destiny is a person’s only real obligation”.
The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, is a piece of literary Red Bull that gave me personally enough energy to keep pushing me when there were times when I was ready to say “screw it”, “fuck it”, “I had enough”, and start looking at my life more meaningfully. I don’t want to say anything new about the book but believe me this book has awesomely inspiring power for anyone who is trying to carve their own road. Totally amazing. If you haven’t read it, you should go read it. I guarantee you this book will invoke an unattached, unmoved reaction. For me this book has always been a beacon of support and motivation as I begin my own strange journey with nothing in hand but a dream from destiny, and believe me, I found my treasure in the most unexpected place.
Here comes Paulo’s Valentine’s Day piece…
by Paulo Coelho on February 13, 2012
“Why do we have to listen to our hearts?” the boy asked, when they had made camp that day.
“Because, wherever your heart is, that is where you’ll find your treasure.”
“But my heart is agitated,” the boy said. “It has its dreams, it gets emotional, and it’s become passionate over a woman of the desert. It asks things of me, and it keeps me from sleeping many nights, when I’m thinking about her.”
“Well, that’s good. Your heart is alive. Keep listening to what it has to say.”
“My heart is a traitor,” the boy said to the alchemist, when they had paused to rest the horses. “It doesn’t want me to go on.”
“That makes sense. Naturally it’s afraid that, in pursuing your dream, you might lose everything you’ve won.”
“Well, then, why should I listen to my heart?”
“Because you will never again be able to keep it quiet. ”
“You mean I should listen, even if it’s treasonous?”
“Treason is a blow that comes unexpectedly. If you know your heart well, it will never be able to do that to you. Because you’ll know its dreams and wishes, and will know how to deal with them.
“My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer,” the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky.
“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity.”
From “The Alchemist”
Same to you my friend,, my prayers for you.
Happy Valentine’s Day to you Selva
I like your blog. Thank you for bringing back Alchemist to memory again. Alchemist has always been an inspiration to me and when I’m down I read the book again and again.Heart should be taken care well. It mustn’t fear to LOVE. LOVE is like flower where it must be nourished and grow healthy. =)
Happy Valentine’s Day!
This book really changed my life and the last quote “Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity.” gave me courage to face life again and pursue my dreams. This helped cure my anxiety and manic depression. I have suffered when I fell in love and got hurt but that gave me my kid which is so precious to me. There is still pain but I won’t close my heart and stop believing that in time I would find the one and achieve all my dreams in life. Just need to be reminded all the time each time I tend to lose faith. The suffering is still there but it makes me feel alive!
This is a very enlightening blog, It speaks of truth and reality of how most of us people see life. That we are lost to follow our destiny because we just go with the flow in life. And quoted from a Iban friend, “Only dead fish goes with the flow”, and I find it so true, because I myself have found my happiness and I will never just go with the flow now that Destiny awaits, I must not fear for my pursuit for it brings me happiness and contentment.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity.”……this part is soo nice.