The international bestselling author of The Alchemist, Eleven Minutes and Veronika Decides To Die
has written another masterpiece which deals this time with the
centuries old battle between good and evil under the mask of temptation.
The chosen location was Viscos, a remote quiet village where people of
seemingly good nature thrive. Unbeknownst to most, a stranger with an
agenda motivated by his gruesome past, suddenly visits. This man will
unveil fear, vengeance and greed among its inhabitants. The good will be
faced with evil and the battle will begin in the hearts and souls of
many. Find out how this parable will fare and if the saying that 'GOOD ALWAYS PREVAILS' still rings true.
~~~oOo~~~
There are some lines in the book which deeply bothered me, like:
How can one know what will please the Almighty? Do what your heart commands, and God will be happy." (p. 149).
At first, it made me reminisce all those times when I followed my heart and gave in to my desires.
Some were good, some were bad, depending on how one would look at each
of my decisions. There were numerous grey areas here. Like running away
from home would seem bad if seen in the perspective of a child
disobeying/disrespecting his/her parents but it could be good if it made
that person (me) a better provider in the long run. Anyway, during
those moments of self liberation, I was happy and I believed that God
was also happy with my decisions. On the other hand, if you tell this
phrase to the wrong person, this line alone can provoke a lot of
contentions and speculations. What if you say this to someone whose
nature is to harm people? E.g. serial killers, terrorists, rapists, and
other hardcore criminals who believe that what they're doing is just and
is in accordance with some higher power. Science calls this insanity or
a chemical breakdown in the brain. Still, some would think that
perhaps, these criminals were simply brainwashed by powerful influences.
Will God still be happy with this? On the surface, most of us would
answer a resounding NO. But if you think outside of the box, whether we
were chosen to portray the bad deed or the good, we are just merely puppets playing our roles in God's grand scheme of things. Come
to think of it, based on the bible, Judas' role was very significant to
humankind's salvation. If he didn't betray Christ, there would be no
crucifixion, therefore, no salvation. The same thing holds true for us.
Complicated, isn't it?
~~~oOo~~~
Another paragraph struck me as well :
... there were two things that prevent us from achieving our dreams: believing them to be impossible, or seeing those things made possible by some sudden turn of the wheel of fortune, when you least expected it. For at that moment, all our fears suddenly surface: the fear of setting off along a road heading who knows where, the fear of a life full of new challenges, the fear of losing forever everything that is familiar." (p. 34).
I
remember that time when I was given an opportunity to pursue a
scholarship when I didn't even apply for one. The only catch was to
study full time and quit my work at GSIS. I was really torn. I couldn't
let go of my financial obligations to my family but I also didn't want
to give up this once in a lifetime opportunity to pursue a masteral in
psychology, all expenses paid. In the end, all my fears of not being
able to provide for my family suddenly surfaced and I was forced to let
go of that chance and stick to my current job that helps me pay for all
our bills. Do you think it was a good decision? Until now, I still
can't answer this question.
~~~oOo~~~
What's
good about most of Paolo Coelho's books is that they certainly make you
think. You start to ask questions and try to come up with the answers.
But no matter how many answers you've got, what matters is that you
asked at all. As the old saying goes "An unexamined life is a life not worth living". So
go ahead and ask questions. You may not find all the answers you're
looking for but at least took the time to discern your purpose and live
your life.
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