End of an Era
February 2012
11 posts
“Ester asked why people are sad.
“That’s simple,” says the old man. “They are the prisoners of their personal history. Everyone believes that the main aim in life is to follow a plan. They never ask if that plan is theirs or if it was created by another person. They accumulate experiences, memories, things, other people’s ideas, and it is more than they can possibly cope with. And that is why they forget their dreams.”
Ester remarks that many people say to her, “You’re lucky, you know what you want from life, whereas I don’t even know what I want to do.”
“Of course they know,” replies the nomad. “How many people do you know who say: I’ve never done what I wanted, but then, at some point, they must have known what it was that they did want. As for life, it’s just a story that other people tell us about the world and about how we should behave in the world. “
“Even worse are those people who say: I’m happy because I’m sacrificing my life for those I love.”
“And do you think that the people who love us want to see us suffering for their sakes? Do you think that love is a source of suffering?”
“To be honest, yes.”
“Well, it shouldn’t be.” —Paulo Coelho, The Zahir
“That’s simple,” says the old man. “They are the prisoners of their personal history. Everyone believes that the main aim in life is to follow a plan. They never ask if that plan is theirs or if it was created by another person. They accumulate experiences, memories, things, other people’s ideas, and it is more than they can possibly cope with. And that is why they forget their dreams.”
Ester remarks that many people say to her, “You’re lucky, you know what you want from life, whereas I don’t even know what I want to do.”
“Of course they know,” replies the nomad. “How many people do you know who say: I’ve never done what I wanted, but then, at some point, they must have known what it was that they did want. As for life, it’s just a story that other people tell us about the world and about how we should behave in the world. “
“Even worse are those people who say: I’m happy because I’m sacrificing my life for those I love.”
“And do you think that the people who love us want to see us suffering for their sakes? Do you think that love is a source of suffering?”
“To be honest, yes.”
“Well, it shouldn’t be.” —Paulo Coelho, The Zahir
