Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian novelist known for the mystical voyages taken by the characters in his many books. A young Paulo expressed his immeasurable passion of writing to his parents; however, the news was not received well and instead his parents imposed that he follows the path of his father; an engineer. Consequently, Paulo’s love for writing resulted in his parents enrolling him in a mental facility which he escaped from a total of 3 times until his release in 1967.
In 1970, Paulo was a law student, only partaking in this route to please his parents while laying his own dreams aside. Paulo knew this was not the path for him so he ultimately left law school behind and travelled across Europe, South America and North Africa with a hippie lifestyle. The acclaimed novelist maintained this lifestyle until he underwent an epiphany in 1986, detailed in his first novel the Pilgrimage.
I, many readers around the world and more generations to come are elated that Paulo experienced this revelation that led to him writing many books that have guided us in finding meaning and purpose in our lives stemming from his personal victories and struggles. reemsread is single-handedly the project that I have put off the most for many years in fear of criticism or misinterpretation, but now I know that a dream is a dream and dreams are meant to be chased. To imagine a world without Paulo’s books is to imagine a world with no colour.
PILGRIMAGE At a café in Amsterdam, 1982, Paulo met a spiritual mentor who proposed he embarks on the Road to Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain. In 1986 Paulo embarked on the 500 miles journey, an experience that transformed his being and led to his spiritual awakening. As a result of the 500 miles life changing journey, Paulo underwent an epiphany when reaching the end of the Road, which is detailed in his next book, The Alchemist; he burned all the bridges and fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming a writer.
The exquisiteness of the aftermath of reading his captivating words is that I was able to experience my own form of spiritual awakening. The power of perfectly placed words is infinite and can live with us through every chapter of life; school, university and our careers. Through every different stage in life, Paulo’s books have had the ability to resonate with our souls differently but all still the same.
THE ALCHEMIST
Paulo is best known for his notable and remarkable book The Alchemist. The Alchemist will transport you into an enchanted world of dreams, hope and fulfillment. The book details a journey of an Andalusian young boy; Santiago. The boy’s journey begins with a quest in search of fortune in the desert and ends with the young boy finding life’s fundamental wealth within his soul. The book is a fable about following your dreams and appreciating the simple pleasures that the universe has to offer us despite life’s challenges; a reflection of Paulo’s own life.
“When each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises.” - Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist.
“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” - Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist.
“The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.” - Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist.
BY THE RIVER PIEDRA I SAT DOWN AND WEPT
The Other is a philosophy embedded throughout Paulo’s book By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept, a philosophy that I have struggled to apply into my everyday life. Fear is an element of life that is difficult to escape from and overcoming fear is not my forte, but it is books like this that resonate with me and show me that fear is merely a fictional creation of the mind.
“What is the Other?” they ask. “The Other is the one who taught me what I should be like, but not what I am. The Other believes that it is our obligation to spend our entire life thinking about how to get our hands on as much money as possible so that we will not die of hunger when we are old. So we think so much about money and our plans for acquiring it that we discover we are alive only when our days on earth are practically done. And then it's too late.” “And you? Who are you?” “I am just like everyone else who listens to their heart: a person who is enchanted by the mystery of life. Who is open to miracles, who experiences joy and enthusiasm for what they do. It's just that the Other, afraid of disappointment, kept me from taking action.” “But there is suffering in life,” one of the listeners said. “And there are defeats. No one can avoid them. But it's better to lose some of the battles in the struggle for your dreams than to be defeated without ever even knowing what you're fighting for.” “That's it?” another listener asked. “Yes, that's it. When I learned this, I resolved to become the person I had always wanted to be. The Other stood there in the corner of my room, watching me, but I will never let the Other into myself again, even though it has already tried to frighten me, warning me that it's risky not to think about the future. From the moment that I ousted the Other from my life, the Divine Energy began to perform its miracles.” – Paulo Coelho, By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept.
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And now I leave you with a few quotes that I could only hope will help you see the colour in your life as it did with me…
“When you find your path, you must not be afraid. You need to have sufficient courage to make mistakes. Disappointment, defeat, and despair are the tools God uses to show us the way.” - Paulo Coelho, Brida.
“Now that she had nothing to lose, she was free.” – Paulo Coelho, Eleven Minutes.
“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.” - Paulo Coelho, The Zahir.
I thank you Paulo Coelho, for the life lessons you have taught me, for shaping me into the woman I am today and for helping me accept my faults as strengths. Listen to your heart.
- REEM INK
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