The Winner Stands Alone by Paolo Coelho

 

This latest book of Paolo Coelho is one that is very different from the rest of the pack (I know because I've read all of them and I have them in my collection). It was a slow read at first but the more I turned its pages, the more hooked I got. Probably because in my own little way, I have brushed with the world of glamour and celebrities through the acting bits I did in theater and TV and I know for a fact how messy, superficial, vain and shallow people can really get. Many will really try everything they can to get a piece of the pie... any piece of fame and glory that they can get their hands on. Most of the time, I detest it. But for Paolo Coelho's characters in this book, The Superclass, fame and fortune have  become the end all and be all of living.

The Winner Stands Alone picked a very interesting spot for its plot to unfold --- the Cannes Film Festival in France. Most of us, if not all, have an idea how glitzy, flashy and snazzy this event is especially for film makers, actors, directors, designers, couturiers, photographers and everyone involved in showbiz. This is where its central character, Igor, chose to unveil its pure evil by destroying "whole worlds" if only to bring back the heart of the woman (Ewa) he loves. And in the process of doing so, he realized how pointless his cruelty has been... how she, despite everything he has done for her, does not deserve his love and adoration after all.

All of the characters in this book were caught in the trap of fame and fortune... of glamour, like some drug so powerful that one cannot really resist it. And in the end, it's all for naught. And the winner does stand alone.

The following are some parts of the book that for some reason or another, I resonated with:

"The celebrity syndrome. When people forget who they are and start to believe what other people say about them. The Superclass, everyone's dream, a world without shadows or darkness, where yes is the only possible answer to any request." - page 155

> Even in the ordinary day-to-day life, there are people who act this way. They forget who they really are and believe more in what other people say about them. Thank God I'm not one of those! On the contrary, I really don't care much what other people think of me. It's my life and I will do what I want with it. As long as I know that I am not hurting anyone, that I am doing my best to be of help to people who matter to me, then that's enough.  How sad life must be for those whose confidence in themselves rely on others' opinion about them. They're not really living but merely existing.

"In her youth, she had always felt rejected by others and never able to be herself. She always had to pretend to be interested in the same things as her friends, playing the same games, going to parties, and looking for some handsome man to be a faithful husband and give her security, a home and children. " - page 201

> There were times when I also felt rejected by my so-called friends even when they didn't mean it. I joined their games and pretended to like the things they do, if only to feel like I belong. In times of turbulence I am there for them to listen, to have a shoulder to cry on, to hold them... but when it's my turn to open up, they all disappear. Or worse, they pretend to listen but somehow manage to turn the conversation about themselves. I honestly don't know what's up with that. And so through the years, I learned to manage on my own.  I learned to accept and do what I love. I learned to solve problems by myself. I learned to be a lot tougher and meaner. And the consequence of  this is... I expect others to be the same.

"Carry on, even if you're not so sure now of what you're doing. God moves in mysterious ways, and sometimes, the path only reveals itself once you start walking it." - page 248

> A lot of things in my life happened out of chance. Almost everything I did and still do seemed/seem to be unplanned. I just know I want to do it and so I do it. And in the proces sof doing so, the path is always slowly revealed. I didn't want to be a government employee but I became one and through the years, I became better and better at it. I was rewarded for my efforts with money and fame. But I stopped wanting it and craved for something else. So I quit and ventured into the carefree world of freelancing. I didn't know anything about it at first but I braved its waters. I was soon rewarded yet again and things just keep getting better and better. It's really true! Life is mysterious. God will reveal the path as soon as one starts walking on it. So start walking!

"People get lost in the desert because they're taken in by mirages... You're doing an excellent job as a couturier; focus all your energies on that." - page 308

> This phrase has the most emotional pull on me. I am an Aquarian and by nature I love doing so many different things. No wonder I feel like I'm perpetually 21 years old. I get pulled by so many different forces at so many different directions. Sometimes, I know these forces are just mirages. They're really not what I want but I take them anyway and that's when I get lost in life. I should discern which things I am excellent at and focus my energies there. I'll make that part of my 2010 resolution. So it is and so it will be done.