Warrior of the Light Online – # 21 

In this issue:
1 – Conversations with the master – The mystery
2 – Stories – Two tales of the future
3 – Reflections of the Warrior of the Light

CONVERSATIONS WITH THE MASTER – THE mYSTERY

(Here I continue to reproduce some excerpts from conversations with my master, from 1982 to 1990)

- What are we doing on Earth?
- Truly? I don’t know. I have looked in many corners, in light and dark places; today, I am convinced that no one knows – Only God. 
- That is not a good answer, for a master. 
- It is an honest answer. I know many people who will explain to you in great detail, the meaning of our existence. Don’t believe them, these people are tied to an ancient language, and only believe in things which have an explanation.
- Does that mean there is no reason to live?
- You do not understand what I am saying. I said I don’t know the reason. But of course there is a reason we are here, and God knows it. 
- Why doesn’t he reveal it to us?
- He reveals it to each of us, but in a language we often do not accept, because it has no logic – and we are too accustomed to directions and formulas. 
“Our heart knows why we are here. Whoever listens to his heart, follows the signs, and lives his Personal Legend, will understand that he is taking part in something, even if he doesn’t comprehend it rationally. There is a tradition which says that, the second before our death, we realize the true reason for our existence. And at that moment, Hell and Heaven are born.
- I don’t understand.
- During this split second, Hell is to look back and know that we wasted an opportunity to honor God and dignify the miracle of life. Heaven, at that moment, is to be able to say: “I made some mistakes, but I was not a coward: I lived my life, and did what I had to do.” Both Hell and Heaven will accompany us for a long time, but not forever. 
- How can I know that I am living my life?
- Because, instead of bitterness, you feel enthusiasm. That is the only difference. Apart from that, one must respect the Mystery, and humbly accept that God has a plan for us. A generous plan, which leads us towards His presence, and which justifies these millions of stars, planets, black holes, etc. which we see tonight, here in Oslo (we were in Norway) . 
- It is very difficult to live without an explanation.
- Can you explain why man needs to give and receive love? No. And you live with that, don’t you? Not only do you live with it, but it is the most important thing in your life: love. And there is no explanation. 
“In the same way, there is no explanation of life. But there is a reason we are here, and you must be humble enough to accept that. Trust what I say; the life of each human being has a meaning, although he commits the error of spending the greater part of his time on earth seeking an answer, and meanwhile forgets to live.
“I can give you an example from a time when I came close to understanding all this. I had arrived at a party to commemorate 50 years since my graduation from high school. There, at the school where I studied as a teenager, I found many friends. We drank, told the same jokes as half a century ago.
“At a certain moment, I looked out onto the schoolyard. There, I saw myself as a child, playing, looking at life with amazement and intensity. Suddenly, the child that I saw began to take form and came over to me. 
“He looked at me and smiled. Then I understood that I hadn’t betrayed my youthful dreams. That the child I had once been was still proud of me. That the reason to live that I had as a child, was still alive in my heart. 
“Try to live with the same intensity as a child. He doesn’t ask for explanations; he dives into each day as if it were a new adventure and, at night, sleeps tired and happy.”

STORIES – TWO TALES OF THE FUTURE

May we be forgotten

At the Sceta monastery, the abbot Lucas gathered the monks for the sermon.
- May you never be remembered – he said. 
- What do you mean? – replied one of the brothers.  – May our example not help those who might need it?
- In the days when everything was just, no one paid attention to exemplary people – answered the abbot. – Everyone gave their best, without pretensions, and so fulfilled their duty to their fellow men. They loved their neighbor because they understood that this was part of life, and they thought nothing of respecting a law of nature. They shared their possessions in order not to accumulate more than they could carry, since journeys last a lifetime. They lived together in freedom, giving and receiving, without demanding or blaming anything on others. That is why their deeds were not handed down, and there is no story known about them. 
 “I hope we can achieve the same thing in the present: to make goodness such a common thing, that there is no need to exalt those who practice it.”

How to flatten the world

Confucius was traveling with his disciples when he heard that a very intelligent boy lived in a nearby village. Confucius went to talk to him and jokingly asked: 
- Why don’t you help me get rid of the inequalities?
- Why do away with the inequalities? – said the boy. – If we flatten the mountains, the birds will no longer have shelter. If we put an end to the depths of the rivers and seas, all the fish will die. If the chief of the village has the same authority as the madman, no one will know what to do. The world is vast, let it have its differences. 
The disciples left, impressed by the boy’s wisdom. As they made their way to another town, one of them commented that all children should be like that. 
- I have met many children who, instead of playing and doing the usual things for their age, tried to understand the world – said Confucius. – And none of these 
precocious children succeeded in doing anything important, later in life, because they never had a taste of innocence and the healthy irresponsibility of childhood. 

REFLECTIONS OF THE WARRIOR OF THE LIGHT

A warrior of the light never acts in a cowardly fashion.
Flight may be an excellent art of defense, but it cannot be used when fear is great. When in doubt, the warrior prefers to risk defeat and then cure his wounds – because he knows that if he runs away, he is giving his aggressor more power than he deserves. 
He can cure physical suffering, but will be persecuted forever for any spiritual weakness. 
Faced with difficult and painful moments, the warrior faces unfavorable circumstances with heroism, resignation and courage. 

Copyright @ 2001 by Paulo Coelho. 
The Warrior of the Light Online is a monthly publication at the site www.paulocoelho.com.br. It may be freely distributed over the Internet and included on pages where the content is free, provided the source is credited as follows: “Warrior of the Light, a www.paulocoelho.com.br publication.”
The author reserves the right to alter these conditions at any time.