Archive for the Spirituality
Recently I had the honor and the pleasure to sit next to the oldest person I have ever met – a 102 year old lady (see the picture below which was taken after we had landed). Had she not told me her age, I would have never been able to guess how old she was. At the most I thought that she was in her 80s. Incredible. Kate has lived through a lot in her lifetime: she was born before World War I, lived through WW II, Korea, Vietnam and all other wars before and since. She saw candle lights being replaced by electricity, dirt roads being paved, horse drawn carriages replaced by cars, and trains by aircrafts. In her lifetime telegraph poles were replaced by telephone poles and the mailman by email. Even though cell phones became a household tool in the 90s she never owned one as the little handheld devices look way too complicated to her – not to mention that she has never sent an email or even owned a computer. When Kate was born women did not have the right to vote in the USA, racial seggregation was widespread, nuclear energy was not discovered yet and Einstein had not yet published his theory of relativity.
When Kate dozed off for a while and I had time to digest how much change she has experienced throughout her 102 years on planet earth I realized that I also have experienced a lot of change – change that impacted primarily me as a person as well as change on a global basis – as well since I first saw the light of day: Revolution in Iran in 79 forced us to flee the country while it threw the country into chaos, culminating in a war with Iraq and sponsoring of terrorism. In 87 Tshernobyl burst, killing any number of people, turning a vast territory into a no-go zone, and causing me to get cancer. And in 09 the biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression kills hundreds of thousands of jobs and throwing the world into mayhem, causing a near economic meltdown while it destroys my business forcing me to declare bankruptcy.
Many, many things happed during our lifetime – many ups and at least just as many downs – situations we have no influence over and situations created directly by our own actions. The important thing is to simply know that throughout our life many, many ups and downs will happen and that everything is changing all the time – relentlessly. Change is life and life is change (see Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher known for his doctrine of change) – having the faith, a fundamental trust, that life will continue almost no matter which challenge we are faced with, will give us the energy, the will, and the joy to live on and seek the positive and fulfilling aspects of what life has to offer, irrespective of how seeminlgy bad the situation currently looks.
Have unwavering faith that life can and will go on no matter how desperate a situation or how big a challenge – through the power of your mind and your unwavering faith you can overcome it all.
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“The monk who sold his Ferrari” is one of the best spiritual tales I have read to this date. I thought I would give you a recap hoping it would entice you read this book as well:*
This fable provides an approach to living a simple life with greater balance, strength, courage and abundance of joy. It makes the message being conveyed linger in our minds. Although most of the principles dealt with can be found in countless other books on self-help and spirituality, there is a difference in the way how Robin S Sharma has put things together.
This story is the tale of Julian Mantle, a lawyer, brought face to face with a spiritual crisis. Julian’s spark of life begins to flicker. He embarks on a life-changing odyssey and discovers the ancient culture of India. During this journey he learns the value time as the most important commodity and how to cherish relationships, develop joyful thoughts and live fully, one day at a time.
The eleven chapters are meticulously planned and flow seamlessly from one to the next. Julian Mantle, a very successful lawyer was the epitome of success. He had achieved everything most of us could ever want: professional success with an seven figure income, a grand mansion in a neighborhood inhabited by celebrities, a private jet, a summer home on a tropical island and his prized possession a shiny red Ferrari parked in the center of his driveway. Suddenly he has to come terms with the unexpected effects of his unbalanced lifestyle.
John, who is a friend as well as co-worker of Julian, narrates the story. He begins by describing Julian’s flamboyant lifestyle, his exaggerated courtroom theatrics, which regularly made the front pages of newspapers and his late night visits to the city’s finest restaurants with sexy young models.
Julian Mantle, the great lawyer collapses in the courtroom, sweating and shivering. His obsession with work has caused this heart attack. The last few years Julian had worked day and night without caring about his mental and physical health. That helped him become a very rich and successful lawyer but took a toll on his health and mental state. At fifty-three he looked seventy and had lost his sense of humor. Julian refused to meet any of his friends and colleagues at the hospital. One fine day he quit his law firm and took off without saying where he was headed.
Three years passed without any news from Julian. One day he paid a visit to his friend and former colleague John, who was now a cynical older lawyer. But Julian, in the past three years, had been miraculously transformed into a healthy man with physical vitality and spiritual strength.
Following his heart attack Julian Mantle had sold all his property (Yes, his Ferrari too) and left for India. The author tells us about Julian’s Indian odyssey, how he met the sages of Sivana who had a life changing effect on him. Julian Mantle shares his story of transformation, his secrets of a happy and fulfilling life with his friend John. Julian describes Sivana- a small place located in the Himalayas, the land of rose covered huts, placid blue waters with white lotuses floating, youth and vitality, beautiful glowing faces, fresh and exotic fruits. He tells John about the sages of Sivana who knew all secrets of how to live life happily and how to fulfill one’s dreams and reach one’s destiny.
Julian relates his experiences with yogi Raman the leader of the sages of Sivana and the person who taught Julian his secrets of a happy and fulfilling life. He narrates to John the fable that contained the seven virtues for a life abundant with inner peace, joy and a wealth of spiritual gifts. He tells John the techniques that he learned from yogi Raman on how to master our minds with simple techniques like “the heart of rose technique” and “the secret of lake technique”. He tells John how to cultivate the mind and how to use setbacks for expanding knowledge of the self.
He talks about setting and following our own purpose and teaches John the ancient art of self-leadership with techniques such as “do the things you fear” and “the 5 step method for attaining goals”. He waxes eloquent about the value of self-discipline and respect for time. He describes techniques such as “the ancient rule of 20” and “the vow of silence”. He teaches how to focus on the priorities and thereby maintain a balance and simplify life. He gives examples that prove that willpower is the essential virtue of a fully actualized life.
Julian teaches John the virtue of selflessness in serving others. He asks John to embrace the present and live in the present – “Now”, never to sacrifice happiness for achievements and to savor the journey of life and live each day as his last one. At the end he asks John to spread these secrets for the benefit of other people. Embracing John like the brother he never had, Julian leaves.
May this story bring you as much inspiration and joy as it has brought me.
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*Taken from: http://www.chillibreeze.com/bookreviews/ThemonkwhosoldhisFerrari.asp
On my last trip I came across another “Kate and William” fairy tale that I simply had to share with you.
I had the honor of traveling with Bob and Marj through Switzerland. Bob is 94 years old and Marj is 82. They have been married for four years, yes, you read correctly, just for four years. Bob is from California and Marj is from New Jersey. They met on a trip through Australia and New Zealand four and a half years ago.
They clicked immediately at the beginning of the tour and spent the rest of the trip glued to one another. After the trip, Marj flew to Bob and spent a couple of weeks with him. And then Bob came to New Jersey to visit Marj. When Marj flew to the West Coast to visit Bob again, they started to talk about the constant back and forth, so Bob suggested to simply drive to Las Vegas and get married. Marj thought it was a joke but went along. Only once standing before a justice of the peace she realized that Bob really meant it and so they got married; in Las Vegas, four months after meeting for the first time on a trip through New Zealand and Australia.
If this were not remarkable enough, I want to point out that Bob was 89 and Marj was 77 when they met halfway across the globe. To travel such long distances at such an age would sound incredulous if not crazy and impossible for most people (at that age). To get married at their age and only after knowing one another for four months might also be considered a ‘little outside the box’.
And I haven’t even started to share Bob’s and Marj’s life story, which both were very open to share with me. Bob was married for sixty-two years and Marj for forty-five in their first marriage. Bob’s wife got very sick during her final years, so Bob stayed home for two years to tend to her. He barely left his house during these two years and even had their food delivered to his house. He was there for his wife until she died. He was eighty-five when his wife died and it took him a couple of years to overcome this shock, but then he started to go amongst people again and eventually started to travel as well.
Marj’s husband was taken from her in an accident; she was seventy-five when her husband died. While Bob has a very outgoing personality, Marj is a little more reserved, but not much, I should say – quiet waters run deep as they say. Bob was an engineer who ended up starting a few companies in his lifetime which made him financially independent. Marj was a teacher her entire life. She reluctantly retired at sixty-five only because she voluntarily wanted to give a younger teacher a chance to teach.
Since Bob and Marj got married they have traveled internationally at least four times per year. They have seen seventy-two countries since they got married. And my trip with them was their second this year, but also their second to last major trip. They have one more trip planned later on in the year and then they will call it quits. They say it has become too cumbersome to travel long-distance. You should have seen them on our train trip through the Swiss Alps: always on time, they partook in all excursions, even took the gondola all the way up the Matterhorn, always smiling, always holding hands – it was so delightful and heartwarming to travel with them as well as very inspiring.
To celebrate their journey together we presented them with a gift and asked them to share their story with us. Bob immediately got up and delivered an ad-hoc fifteen minute long speech about how they met and what they have done together since they got married. And at the end he said: believe in the magic of life, there is always hope, there is always an opportunity around the corner, there is always a surprise waiting for you, as long as you believe in magic, it will happen, no matter who you are, where you are and how old you are.
I am sharing this real life story with you to inspire you to believe in the magic of life and the power that your own mind has in creating a wonderful and fulfilled life for you – create it, will it, believe it, and you will experience it…
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Over one billion (!) people watched William and Kate’s wedding on Friday, April 29th. A fairy tale became reality – an “average” girl turned into a princess. Something we all deep, deep down daydream about – that someone picks us up and pulls us out of our average, mundane, and maybe even miserable life and through a magic kiss turns us into a beautiful princess or charming prince. When do we ever see a Cinderella story to come true? Never, right?! Wrong!
There are Cinderella stories happening all day every day – we just have to see it. Such a story is unfolding right in front of my eyes, so instead of writing about William and Kate, I much rather would like to write about Laverne and Ellen. I am currently guiding them on their tour through the Alps. Laverne is taking his Ellen on a tour through Europe – it is their honeymoon. So might be inclined to say that this is not such a unique love story; well, only because you do not know that Laverne is 76 years and Ellen is 72 years old. They just got married a few months ago and Laverne wanted to show Ellen “his” Europe. Last time he was here was as a soldier in the 1950′s where he got to travel through and learn to appreciate Europe. He never had a chance to come back again – until now. Both were married once before; Laverne for over 50 years and Ellen for nearly 50 years. Both took care of their sick partners for decades and both lost their partners a few years ago. Both live in rural Wisconsin and happened to bump into one another through a divine providence.
Throughout their trip they have not left each other’s side once and whenever I look at them they are holding hands. Laverne keeps saying that he is the luckiest man on earth to have found Ellen and to be able to spend time with her. He couldn’t even remember how it feels not to take care for somebody. His wife was suffering from MS and was sick and needed help for thirty of their fifty years together with her final ten years being bedridden and needing constant attention. Laverne said that it never crossed his mind to ever leave his wife he was just there for her, despite having to work on his farm long, long hours and also running a tractor repair business on the side – apart from raising his children. He did not have a single to himself for some thirty years and wasn’t able to travel since his return back to the US from Europe in the 1950′s. His heart was yearning to travel and to explore but life’s circumstances forced him to stay put.
Not only was he taking care of his wife but also he had to overcome a few major health issues – cancerous tumor and a heart attack, apart from a big accident. All of these sent him straight to hospital – weeks, months and years of personal fights but he never forgot to laugh and to say ‘the hell with it’. When you talk to these two little angles you do not see a trace of bitterness or anger in their eyes – all you see is happiness, excitement and love for each other. To have met them on my journey has been a blessing indeed! Thank you Laverne and thank you Ellen.
As you can see a ‘William and Kate’ miracle is happening all the time – just choose to see and choose to experience yourself and you will!
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1. You Are a Physical Extension of That Which is Non-physical.
All-That-Is, or that which you call God, is not finished and waiting for you to catch up. You are the leading edge of thought, here seeking more: more of all that feels good to you, more of that which is fresh and gloriously uplifting. (You are, in essence, bringing heaven to earth.)
2. You Are Here in This Body Because You Chose to Be Here.
You chose the opportunity to experience this delicious contrast in time and space, and with great anticipation you came to co-create with other joy-seeking Beings, to fine-tune the process of deliberate thought. (What, where, when and with whom you create are your choices, too.)
3. The Basis of Your Life is Freedom; the Purpose of Your Life is Joy.
You are free to choose to discover new avenues for your joy. In your joy you will grow; and in your growth you add to the expansion of All-That-Is. (However, you are also free to choose bondage or pain…but everything anyone chooses is only because they believe it will help them feel better.)
4. You Are a Creator; You Create With Your Every Thought.
By the Universal Law of Attraction, you are attracting the essence of whatever you are choosing to give your attention to — whether wanted or unwanted. And so, you often create by default. But you can know by how your emotion feels if what you are attracting (creating) is what you are wanting or if it is not what you are wanting. (Where is your attention focused?)
5. Anything That You Can Imagine is Yours to Be or Do or Have.
As you ask yourself why you want it, the essence of your desire is activated, and the Universe begins to bring it to you. The more intense your positive feelings, the faster it is coming to you. (It is as easy to create a castle as a button.)
6. As You Are Choosing Your Thoughts, Your Emotions Are Guiding You.
Your loving Inner Being offers guidance in the form of emotion. Entertain a wanted or unwanted thought, and you feel a wanted or unwanted emotion. Choose to change the thought and you have changed the emotion — and you have changed the creation. (Make more choices in every day.)
7. The Universe Adores You for it Knows Your Broadest Intentions.
You have chosen to come to earth with great intentions, and the Universe constantly guides you on your chosen path. When you are feeling good, you are, in that moment, allowing more of that which you have intended from your broader perspective. (You are Spirit Incarnate.)
8. Relax into Your Natural Well-Being. All is Well. (Really It Is!)
The essence of all that you appreciate is constantly flowing into your reality. As you find more things to appreciate, your state of appreciation opens more avenues to more for which to feel appreciation. (As you think, you vibrate. As you vibrate, you attract.)
9. You Are a Creator of Thoughtways on Your Unique Path of Joy.
No one can limit where you can direct your thought. There are no limits to your joyous journeys to experience. On the path to your happiness you will discover all that you want to be or do, or have. (Allowing others their experiences allows you yours.)
10. Actions to Be Taken and Possessions to Be Exchanged Are
By-products of Your Focus on Joy. On your deliberately joyous journey your actions will be inspired, your resources will be abundant, and you will know by the way you feel that you are fulfilling your reason for life. (Most have this one backwards, therefore most feel little joy in their actions or their possessions.)
11. You May Appropriately Depart Your Body Without Illness or Pain.
You need not attract illness or pain as an excuse to leave your body. Your natural state — coming, remaining or leaving — is that of health and Well-Being. (You are free to choose otherwise.)
12. You Can Not Die; You Are Everlasting Life.
In grace, you may choose to relax and allow your gentle transition back into your Non-physical state of pure, positive Energy. Your natural state is that of Foreverness. (Have fun with all of this! You can’t get it wrong, and you’ll never get it done.)
P.S. It is not necessary for even one other person to understand the Laws of the Universe or the processes that we are offering here in order for you to have a wonderful, happy, productive Life Experience — for you are the attractor of your experience. Just you!
(*Taken from: http://www.abraham-hicks.com/lawofattractionsource/about_hicks.php)
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If there is anyone you would want to take as a role model, then take W Clement Stone – this is his life’s story:*
When William Clement Stone was just 3, his father died, leaving nothing but gambling debts and a widow and son in poverty.
Living with his mother and relatives in an apartment on Chicago’s rough South Side, 6-year-old Stone sold newspapers to help support the family. In this hardscrabble environment of the early 1900s, he had to compete with older boys for street-corner territory. But the young Stone was adaptable and resourceful. He began concentrating on restaurants as better places to peddle papers.
In what he later recalled as his first experience “turning a disadvantage into an advantage,” he returned repeatedly to one restaurant to try to sell papers, only to be thrown out each time by the owner. Finally, through audacity and tenacity, Stone persuaded the owner to let him set up shop. The owner soon became a great friend, and Stone continued to grow his humble newspaper enterprise. By 13, he owned his own newsstand.
In a life that spanned a century, Stone ultimately became an insurance magnate, philanthropist, publisher, best-selling author, and a pioneer in the field of personal development. Indeed, W. Clement Stone was Mr. Positive Mental Attitude.
But what made him so excited about the possibilities for success? What enabled him to see opportunity in every situation, even in adversity and failure? Colorful and fun-loving, Stone seemed to repel negativity. His life trajectory was a steep climb to ever-increasing success, with every challenge transmuted quickly into useful insight. His personal life was equally successful, married 79 years to his childhood sweetheart, with three children and 12 grandchildren. What did Stone know about living life and doing business that eludes the average person, who is so often subject to disappointment, negativity, frustration and despair?
A ‘Self-Builder’
Even as a boy peddling papers, Stone was becoming what he later described as a “self-builder” in his autobiography, The Success System That Never Fails. He was modeling his life after the inspiring Horatio Alger stories about poor boys who pulled themselves up by their bootstraps to lead lives of purpose and wealth.
When he was 16, he dropped out of high school to work for his mother at a casualty insurance agency in Detroit. He later would obtain a high-school diploma as well as some college credits, but for the time being, school would have to wait. Already an accomplished salesman and positive thinker, Stone quickly took to the insurance business. His experience selling newspapers made him a fearless cold-caller, speaking of his prospects as “gold calls.” Stone sold staggering volumes of small, inexpensive policies, at one point more than 100 in a single day.
In 1922, he returned to Chicago and, with an investment of $100, established what would become Combined Insurance Company of America (now part of ACE Corporation). The following year, he wed Jessie Verna Tarson, making good on a promise to her when he was 16 that they would marry when he turned 21.
Meantime, Stone set about building a sales force and training his employees in his developing methods and philosophy. Positive mental attitude, or PMA, was the Combined Insurance mantra. Another favorite three-letter abbreviation stood for his favorite form of fi nance—OPM or “other people’s money”—which Stone used to buy other insurance companies and expand his burgeoning empire.
Along with Combined Insurance, Stone’s business acumen, wealth, confidence and happiness grew steadily. He freely shared his sales and self-motivation experience with every salesman who cared to put his bold methods into practice.
An Irrepressible Optimist
Stone began every day by exclaiming, “I feel happy! I feel healthy! I feel terrific!” and he encouraged his employees to follow his lead. He cut an unforgettably jaunty figure with his signature thin black mustache, smart spats, and brightly patterned vests and bowties, and was seemingly indefatigable when it came to maintaining an upbeat outlook. He once said, “What’s a few million dollars? Everything’s relative.” And when he sensed attention fl agging at meetings, Stone would cry, “Bingo!”
Finance expert and journalist Terry Savage attested to Stone’s morning routine in a 2002 Chicago Sun-Times column commemorating his 100th birthday. “Once I sat a row in front of Mr. Stone on a flight to Europe. As the flight attendants were trying to rouse sleepy passengers for an early morning landing in London, I suddenly heard a loud voice behind me: ‘Stand up. Raise your arms. Repeat after me: I feel healthy! I feel happy! I feel terrific!’ And, you know, I did feel a lot less jet-lagged after I joined him in his everyday ritual,” she wrote.
Even the Great Depression couldn’t diminish Stone’s spirit. By 1930, he had 1,000 insurance agents in his employ selling life and accident insurance. He often hired people with little or no education or prospects, and was likely the catalyst for many a Horatio Alger success story.
Stone later told a New York Times reporter the Depression was a constructive influence, in that it stimulated hard work and ingenuity. It certainly seemed to have that effect for him, as he continually sought ways to increase sales and motivate agents. When he read Napoleon Hill’s seminal work, Think and Grow Rich!, he was so inspired that he distributed copies to every Combined Insurance salesman. Stone credited the resulting upswing in sales to Hill’s principles.
A Fortuitous Meeting
Some years later, Stone made a point of meeting Hill when Hill came to Chicago to give a lecture. Stone convinced him that, through their combined philosophies, they could accomplish great things and inspire people the world over—and in 1952, they began a legendary partnership. Together, they produced books, courses, lectures, and radio and television programs. In 1954, they published Success Unlimited, the predecessor to SUCCESS magazine.
In 1960, Stone and Hill published what became one of the most widely read personal-development classics, Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude. The book was an instant best-seller that attracted other disciples, including Og Mandino, who claimed it was the turning point in his life, helping him escape a downward spiral of alcoholism. Mandino later joined Combined Insurance, as well as Success Unlimited as its editor, and became a best-selling author in his own right.
By 1979, the little insurance company W. Clement Stone started with $100 in savings reached $1 billion in assets. Terry Savage remembered interviewing Stone during this time period for a stock market program on TV. “His enthusiasm for the possibilities of life burst through the camera, as stock market quotes streamed below,” she wrote. “It was as if he were exhorting the viewers to believe that they could do whatever they dreamed. And, in fact, that was his message.”
In 1980, the same year that Combined Insurance went public on the New York Stock Exchange (with the ticker symbol PMA), Stone was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for an illustrious life’s work that focused heavily on philanthropy. Over the years, W. Clement and Jessie Stone donated money to myriad charities and individuals, never hesitating to give if they thought the cause worthwhile.
Abundance Through Giving
A candid bit of advice from Stone originally published in Success Unlimited sums up his philanthropic beliefs: “Be generous! Give to those you love; give to those who love you; give to the fortunate; give to the unfortunate; yes—give especially to those to whom you don’t want to give. Your most precious, valued possessions and your greatest powers are invisible and intangible. No one can take them. You, and you alone, can give them. You will receive abundance for your giving. The more you give, the more you will have.”
When he died several months after his 100th birthday in 2002, W. Clement Stone had given an estimated $275 million away to charity. One of his favorite organizations was the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and many young people went to school on his dime as part of his dedication to widespread empowerment and education of youth. The W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation that he and his wife established continues to support countless humanitarian, mental health, religious and community causes. His estate also provides funding for The Napoleon Hill Foundation.
But perhaps the most valuable contribution of W. Clement Stone’s long life was the fact that he was a happy, fulfi lled man who shared his understanding of the simple—but not necessarily easy—habits and attitudes that produce success, wealth and happiness, namely his beloved positive mental attitude. In books, articles, speeches and one-on-one encounters, he shared the universal principles of success that he had used in his own remarkable life as Mr. Positive Mental Attitude.
“All I want to do is change the world,” Stone once said. And through attitude and action, W. Clement Stone, a Horatio Alger story come to life, did exactly that.
(*Taken from Success Magazine)
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I came across this wonderful, beautiful, and strong lesson in life and wanted to share it with you…
BE NICE TO OTHERS BECAUSE…
TIME WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
ONE DAY YOU WILL NO LONGER BE THE BIG DOG…
JUST THE OLD DOG…
AND IT’S NICE TO BE SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS ;)
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Once upon a time there was a poor Scottish farmer. His name was Fleming. One day, while trying to eke out a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.
The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman’s sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.
“I want to repay you,” said the nobleman. “You saved my son’s life.”
“No, I can’t accept payment for what I did,” the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer’s own son came to the door of the family hovel.
“Is that your son?” the nobleman asked. “Yes,” the farmer replied proudly.
“I’ll make you a deal. Let me take him and give him a good education. If the lad is anything like his father, he’ll grow to a man you can be proud of.”
And that he did. In time, Farmer Fleming’s son graduated from St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.
Years afterward, the nobleman’s son was stricken with pneumonia.
What saved him? Penicillin.
The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill.
His son’s name? Sir Winston Churchill.
Someone once said that what comes around goes around.
Reading this wonderful story reminded me of the book “Life of Pi”, where at the end, after having recounted his adventure, or was it an ordeal?, Pi offered a different, much more sober version, leaving it to the Japanese officials, who had traveled halfway across the globe to interview him, to decide which one they preferred.
I chose to believe the original and not the sober version.
Also here you can choose for yourself whether you would want to go with the above version or go with the version that is provided by The Churchill Centre and Museum.
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For those of you who have not yet read “The Alchemist” by Paolo Coelho, you must drop everything and buy that book. There is a reason why this book has sold over forty million copies! In my opinion this fable is the best story ever written on how following your dream brings about the best in you. The book encapsulates spirituality, power of our mind, creating the life that we want, belief in one-self and the magic of life.
Brazilian storyteller Paulo Coelho introduces Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who one night dreams of a distant treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. And so he’s off: leaving Spain to literally follow his dream. During his journey he learn a lesson or two about life. Along the way he meets many spiritual messengers, who come in unassuming forms such as a camel driver and a well-read Englishman. In one of the Englishman’s books, Santiago first learns about the alchemists–men who believed that if a metal were heated for many years, it would free itself of all its individual properties, and what was left would be the “Soul of the World.” Of course he does eventually meet an alchemist, and the ensuing student-teacher relationship clarifies much of the boy’s misguided agenda, while also emboldening him to stay true to his dreams. “My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer,” the boy confides to the alchemist one night as they look up at a moonless night.
Here is a quick summary*:
When Santiago, a young shepherd boy from the Spanish countryside of Andalusia , has a dream that reveals the location of a hidden treasure buried at the Egyptian Pyramids his simple life is suddenly torn in two. Part of him wants to take the chance to go searching for it and the other part of him wants to continue his easy life as a shepherd.
A mysterious king named the king of Salem in Tarifa convinces Santiago that he has succeeded in discovering his Personal Legend. The old king tells Santiago that following his Personal Legend to its conclusion is a person’s only real obligation in life.
Santiago listens to his heart and decides to go on a dangerous search for the treasure. He sells his flock of sheep and heads to Africa, where he is quickly robbed of all his gold and left despondent on the streets. He decides that he was foolish to believe in his dreams and quickly gets a job with a crystal merchant in order to save up enough money to go back home.
After almost a year working for the merchant, Santiago has made a success of the shop and has plenty of money to do whatever he wants. As he’s walking the streets to go back home he suddenly decides to take a chance and continue his search for the buried treasure.
He joins a caravan to make the dangerous crossing across the desert and as he rides the long, slow days away he begins to listen to his heart and to the desert. He begins to understand what the Soul of the World is, and how he fits in.
When the caravan makes it to the oasis, Santiago meets a girl he falls in love with the moment he sees her. The local alchemist, a mysterious man who reminds Santiago of the old king, helps Santiago continue his journey across the desert and teaches him more important life lessons along the way. Although Santiago does not know it, he is becoming wise, and a master in the art of living to the fullest no matter what. Although he has left his true love back at the oasis, he is resolved to follow his dream to its end.
After many adventures, dangers, and important life lessons Santiago finally reaches the Pyramids. His joy at finally being at journey’s end overwhelms him, and he is grateful that he got the chance to follow his dream.
He begins to dig deep into the sand looking for treasure, but before he can get far a pack of thieves shows up, beating and robbing him. They force him to continue digging, and then leave when no treasure is found. One of the thieves, as destiny would have it, tells Santiago an important clue and when they’re gone Santiago can’t help but laugh, because now he knows where his treasure truly lies.
It ends up being right back where his journey began, under the very tree where he had the prophetic dream years before. He digs and finds a beautiful chest full of gold and gems. His next and last journey will be back to the desert to be reunited with the woman he loves.
*(Summary taken from www.WikiSummaries.org)
Even if you have read this book once or several time before, it will not fail to give you a boot and make you wonder whether there indeed is a higher power behind what we call life.
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There are no “good” or “bad” energies. Energies are energies, period; we are the ones who categorize them into “positive” and “negative”. In the energetic realm there is only an “is” or an “is not” without any distinctions whatsoever when it comes to race, gender, education or wealth. By simply existing, everyone is given an equal access to them. They not only come for free and in unlimited supply, they also work for everyone in the same way, with only one caveat to this: you have to trust and believe, as without faith nothing can be achieved.
On one hand it felt liberating and joyful and invigorating to discover this fundamental law as it meant that we could create and achieve almost anything we wanted; and since we are all equal we all have equal chances to utilize them. On the other hand though it also felt scary and intimidating when I realized that we could just as much abuse this law and cause harm and destruction instead of creating the loving, joyful, and happy life we seek.
Let me explain: some of us, too few until now, have realized the co-existence of the physical and the energetic worlds. Those few though have been able to move mountains and change the world within their lifetime. Whether they had an experience similar to mine or not makes no difference, somehow they must have felt the interconnectedness of our universe and utilized its unlimited potential and power. Here are some examples: Mohandas Gandhi, who created the modern State of India and liberated it from British rule through passive and peaceful resistance; Nelson Mandela led South Africa out of its apartheid constitution and became the first black president of his country; the Buddha dedicated his entire life to healing people once he realized that everything is evanescent; and the Dalai Lama has been traveling the world as an ambassador for pacifism working on peaceful means to liberate Nepal from its Chinese rule.
Most regrettably though, as already indicated before, one must not necessarily have the best of intentions to learn how to tap into this realm and utilize it for their benefit. Aiming to utilize the energies so that they benefit mankind is a conscious and noble choice that each one of us must make in order to be able to step into the footsteps of the aforementioned highly admirable humans. There are ample examples in our history though where the cosmic energies were abused by individuals, groups, and systems, from Adolf Hitler to Josef Stalin, to devastate, abuse, and extort.
Since my life is about love, healing, and taking charge of our life, showing us that we are not a Bouncy Ball but indeed can learn how to Ride Our Horse, I do not want to focus any more on these negative examples; although I felt obliged to give a full and complete picture of the energetic universe to do justice to its neutral nature and to show that it is up to us, and no one else, to cause good in this world.
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