Climbing up a track in the Pyrenees in search of somewhere to practice archery, I came upon a small French army camp. The soldiers looked at me, I pretended that I could see nothing (we all have a little of this paranoia of being seen as spies …) and carried on my way.
I found the ideal spot, performed my preparatory breathing exercises and then saw an armored vehicle approaching.
I immediately put myself on the defensive and reviewed all the possible answers to the questions I would be asked: I have the permission to use a bow and arrow, the spot is safe, any word to the contrary is the responsibility of the forest keepers, not the army’s, and so on. But then out of the car jumps a colonel who asks me if I am the writer and offers me some interesting information about the region.
And then, getting over his almost visible shyness, he tells me that he too has written a book and begins to tell me the curious genesis of his work.
He and his wife made donations for a leper child who originally lived in India but was later transferred to France. One fine day, curious to meet the little girl, they went to the convent where the nuns took care of the child. They spent a lovely afternoon and towards the end of their visit one of the nuns asked if he would help in the spiritual education of the group of children who lived there. Jean Paul Sétau (the officer’s name) said that he had no experience teaching the catechism but that he would give it some thought and ask God what he should do.
That night, after saying his prayers, he heard the answer: “instead of offering answers, try to find out what the children want to ask.”
From then on Sétau had the idea of visiting several schools and ask the pupils to write everything they would like to know about life. He asked for the questions to be put in writing, so that the more timid among the pupils would lose their fear of exposing themselves. The result of his work was gathered together in a book - ” The child who wants to know everything” (Ed. Altess, Paris).

Here are some of the questions:

Where do we go after we die?
Why are we afraid of strangers?
Are there Martians and extra-terrestrial beings?
Why do accidents happen even to people who believe in God?
What does God mean?
Why are we born, if in the end we die?
How many stars are there in the sky?
Who invented war and happiness?
Does the Lord also listen to those who do not believe in the same (Catholic) God?
Why are there poor and sick people?
Why did God create mosquitoes and flies?
Why isn’t the guardian angel close by when we are sad?
Why do we love some people and hate others?
Who gave names to the colors?
If God is in heaven and my mother is up there too because she died, how can He be alive?

I hope that some teachers or parents who read this column feel stimulated to do the same thing. In that way, instead of trying to impose our adult understanding of the universe, we will end up remembering some of our questions as children - and which were never really answered.

by Paulo Coelho

During the last fifteen years I remember experiencing only three overwhelming passions - the kind you read all about, talk compulsively about, seek out people with the same affinity, go to sleep and wake up thinking about. The first was when I bought a computer, abandoning my typewriter for ever and discovering the freedom that this allowed me (I am writing this in a small French town, using something that weighs less than 1.5 kilos, stores ten years of my professional life and can find whatever I need in under five seconds). The second was when I got into the Internet for the first time - by then already a library bigger than the biggest of all the libraries.
The third passion, however, has nothing to do with technological breakthroughs. I am talking about … the bow and arrow. In my youth I read a fascinating book with the title “Zen in the art of archery,” by E. Herrigel (Ed. Pensamento), which tells us about the author’s spiritual journeys by means of this sport. The idea stuck in my subconscious until one day in the Pyrenees when I met an archer. We talked for a while and then he lent me his gear, and ever since then I have not been able to live without practicing archery almost every day.
In Brazil I built a shooting stand in my apartment - the kind you can disassemble in five minutes when the guests arrive. In the French mountains I go out every day to practice, and that has already made me bedridden twice with hypothermia, caused by staying over two hours exposed to a temperature of 6o C below zero. This year I took part in the World Economic Forum in Davos, thanks to very strong painkillers, because two days before the Forum I had a painful muscular inflammation due to positioning my arm wrongly.
So where is the fascination in all this? There is nothing of a practical nature in aiming at a target with a bow and arrow, arms that go back 30,000 years before Christ. But Herrigel, who aroused this passion in me, knew what he was talking about. Here are some extracts from “Zen and the art of archery” that can be applied to many activities in daily life:
“At the moment of holding the tension, concentrate only on what you need to use. Save all the rest of your energy, learn from the bow that in order to reach something it is not necessary to make gigantic movements, just focus on your target.”
“My master gave me a very stiff bow. I asked him why he was beginning to teach me as if I were a professional. His answer was: “If you start with easy things, you won’t be prepared for the big challenges. Better to know right away what kind of difficulty you’re going to encounter further ahead.”
“For a long time I shot without managing to open the bow properly, until one day the master taught me a breathing lesson and everything became so easy. I asked him why he had taken so long to correct me. He answered: “If from the very start I had taught you the breathing exercises, you would have found them unnecessary. Now you will believe what I tell you and practice as if it were really important. Those who know how to teach act in this way.”
“The moment for releasing the arrow happens instinctively, but first you have to know well the bow, the arrow and the target. The perfect stroke in life’s challenges also uses intuition, but we must not forget the technique after we master it completely.”
“At the end of four years, when I was already capable of mastering the bow, the master offered me his congratulations. I was happy and told him that I had reached the half-way point. “No,” answered the master. “So that you don’t fall into any treacherous traps, it’s better for you to consider half-way the point you reach after you have traveled 90% of the road.”

ATTENTION! Using the bow and arrow is dangerous, in some countries like France it is considered to be an arm, and it can only be practiced after receiving your license and only in places that are specially authorized.

by Paulo Coelho

When he was staying at an air base in Africa, author Saint-Exupéry passed the hat among his friends because a Moroccan servant wanted to return to his home town. He managed to collect a thousand francs.
One of the pilots flew the servant as far as Casablanca and told the following when he came back:
- As soon as he arrived he went to have dinner in the very best restaurant, handed out generous tips, paid for drinks all round and bought dolls for the children in his village. This man hadn’t the slightest notion of economy.
- Quite the opposite - answered Saint-Exupéry. - He knew that the best investment in the world is people. Spending in that way, he managed to win all over again the respect of his countrymen, and they will offer him a job. After all, only a winner can be so generous.

by Paulo Coelho

The great Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis (”Zorba the Greek”) tells us that once when he was a boy he noticed a cocoon stuck to a tree, with a butterfly was about to be born. He waited a while, but it was taking so long, so he decided to warm the cocoon with his breath. The butterfly finally emerged but its wings were still stuck together and it died soon afterwards.
“I just couldn’t wait for the sun to complete the necessary process of patient maturation,” says Kazantzakis. “That small corpse is until this very day one of the heaviest burdens on my conscience. But that’s what made me understand what a true mortal sin is: trying to force the great laws of the universe. We have to have patience, wait for the right time and then follow confidently the rhythm that God has chosen for our lives.”

by Paulo Coelho

When they asked Abbot Antonio if the path of sacrifice led to heaven, he answered:
- There are two paths of sacrifice. The first is taken by the man who mortifies the flesh and pays penance because he believes that we are condemned. The man who follows this path feels guilty and judges himself unworthy of living happily.
- The second path is taken by the man who, even though he knows that the world is not as perfect as we would like, prays, does penance and offers up his time and toil to improve the world around him. So he understands that the word sacrifice comes from sacro ofício, holy work. In this case the Divine Presence helps him all the time and he obtains results in heaven.”

by Paulo Coelho

In 1939 the Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara, who was posted in Lithuania during one of the most dreadful periods ever known to mankind, saved thousands of Polish Jews from the Nazi menace by granting them exit visas.
His act of heroism was an obscure footnote in the history of the war until the survivors saved by Sugihara decided to tell their story. His courage and grandeur were soon celebrated by all, drawing the attention of the media and inspiring some authors to write books describing him as “the Japanese Schindler.”
Meanwhile the Israeli government collected the names of the saviors in order to reward them for their efforts. One of the ways in which that the Jewish state tried to show their indebtedness towards these heroes was to plant trees in homage to them. When Sugihara’s courage was disclosed, the Israeli authorities planned to plant the customary cluster of cherry trees - the national tree of Japan - in his memory.
All of a sudden an unheard-of decision was made and the order revoked. They decided that cherry trees were inadequate as a symbol of the bravery displayed by Sugihara and opted for a wood of cedars, a tree of greater vigor and with more sacred connotations for having been used in the First Temple.
Only after the trees were planted did the authorities find out that “Sugihara” in Japanese may be written as … cedar forest.

by Paulo Coelho

The aikidô master demanded intensive training but never allowed his pupils to compete with other martial-arts academies. They all complained among themselves but no-one ever had the nerve to bring up the subject in class.
And then one day one of the boys dared to ask:
- We have dedicated ourselves wholeheartedly to the study of aikidô, but we shall never know whether we are good or bad fighters because we cannot compete with anyone from outside here.
- And may you never need to know that - was the master’s answer. - He who wants to fight loses his bond with the Universe. Here we study the art of resolving conflicts, not starting them.

by Paulo Coelho

A book of mine, “Veronika decides to die” is being adapted to the cinema screen. Sarah Michelle Gellar will be interpreting Veronika.

When they were shooting the film in New York, I had a reader of mine Livia Ruas that asked me to visit the set. here is her account on this experience:

“In the beginning of May, I found out that the Paulo’s Coelho book “Veronika Decides To Die” would be adapted to the big screen by DAS Films production. The people who read the book, will notice some changes in the film version, such as the location. In the book, the story happens in Slovenia, but in the movie it takes place in New York. The reason for the change is because the city makes the movie more relatable with their audience, according to the producer Mitchell Goldman.

Since I admire the author and I love movies, I could not pass the opportunity to visit the film set. I got in contact with Mr. Paulo Coelho and asked him permission to visit the set. Since he is very gracious, he did no hesitate to help me. A couple of days later, I was already in contact with Mitchell Goldman. That day, the set was in Brooklyn, New York, and it was the second to last day of shooting.

Everyone welcomed me with open arms: Mitchell introduced me to everyone and answered everything I wanted to know about the shooting. I talked with one of the main actors on the movie, Jonathan Tucker, who plays Edward. He could not be more down to earth. Veronika, the main character, interpreted by Sarah Michelle Gellar, better known by the Brazilian public for her TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

During the five hours that I stayed on set, I watched two scenes being filmed. One of the scenes was inside Veronika’s apartment with both of the main characters. Afterwards, we all went to the front of the building, for the last scene of the day. I was waiting for the scene to start, when the actress Sarah Michelle Gellar surprised me by asking if I would like to be part of the movie! Of course I accepted and in five minutes I was in the movie as an extra. Sarah Gellar was one of the nicest people on set, she not only invited me to be part of a scene, but she talked to me between takes and was even more pleasant to me on my second day. Actually, the next time I see her, we both will be wearing some cute tennis outfits (but that is just my wishful thinking).

According to Goldman, they just wrapped filming, and now they have to work on the postproduction. He said they hope to launch the movie in festivals such as Cannes and Sundance next year and are planning for a major worldwide release. Who knows, maybe they show up in Brazil?

My visit was better that I imagined, and would like to thank everyone who made it a great experience, particularly Mitchell Goldman who was in contact with me since the beginning. I also would like to thank Sriram Das who authorized my visit and a special thanks to Mr. Paulo Coelho who made it all possible.

In conclusion, Goldman said that “the condition of alienation experienced by the character of Veronika is something that is common in today’s youth and we wanted to tell that story” explaining on why they chose the book for the adaptation. He affirms that the artistic expression of the book as a film will have some difference, but they hope that these differences will only add to the story.”

by Paulo Coelho

A warrior of the light who trusts too much in his intelligence ends up under-estimating the power of the adversary.
One must not forget: there are moments when strength is more effective than sagacity. And when we find ourselves faced with a certain kind of violence, no brilliance, argument, intelligence or charm can prevent tragedy.
That is why the warrior never under-estimates brute force. When it is irrationally aggressive, he retreats from the battle field until the enemy has spent his energy.
However, let it be made quite clear: a warrior of the light is never cowardly. Flight can be an excellent art of defense but it cannot be used when there is great fear.
In the face of any doubt, the warrior prefers to accept defeat and take care of his wounds, because he knows that if he flees he will be giving the attacker a greater power than he deserves.
He can cure physical suffering but he will be eternally persecuted for his spiritual weakness. In some difficult and painful moments, the warrior faces a situation of disadvantage with heroism, resignation and courage.
To achieve the necessary state of mind (since he is entering the fight at a disadvantage and may suffer a lot), the warrior has to understand exactly what can cause him harm. Okakura Kakuso comments in his book on the Japanese tea ritual:
“We look at the evil of others because we know evil through our own behavior. We never forgive those who injure us because we believe that we would never be forgiven. We tell painful truth to our neighbor because we want to hide it from ourselves. We show our strength so that no-one can see our fragility.”
“That is why, whenever you are judging your brother, know that it you who are on trial.”
Sometimes this knowledge can prevent a fight that will only bring disadvantages. However, at other times there is no way out, only an unequal fight.
We know we are gong to lose, but the enemy - violence - has left no other alternative but cowardice, which is of no interest to us. At this moment it is necessary to accept fate and try to bear in mind a text from the fabulous Bragavad Gita (Chapter II, 16-26):
“Man is not born, nor does he ever die. For ever he tries to exist, he will never stop doing this, because this is eternal and permanent.”
“Just as a man casts off his old clothes and starts to wear new ones, the soul casts off the old body and takes on a new one.”
“But the soul is indestructible; spades cannot cut it down, fire does not burn it, water does not wet it, and the wind never dries it. The soul is beyond the power of all such things.”
“As man is indestructible, he is always victorious (even in his defeats), and therefore should never have regrets.”

by Paulo Coelho

- Why do you make us waste time looking for God when you know Him so well? - said a disciple of Hasan de Basra. - You could tell us what He is like.
- Yes - answered Hasan de Basra. - But it so happens that one afternoon I was standing in front of a swamp when I noticed a man getting ready to cross it. I shouted out: “Careful there, you could slip on a rock and get all wet!”
- The man answered back: “If that happens, I will be the only one to get dirty. So, Hasan, if you slip and fall in your path, all your disciples will slip and fall with you.”
“At that moment I understood: God is an individual challenge, each person is responsible for his own search. A master can share his experience, but never the results.”

by Paulo Coelho