Prashant Chopra's Blog, page 56

Are you afraid to be alone?

“As long as we continue to live as if we are what we do, what we have, and what other people think about us, we will remain filled with judgments, opinions, evaluations, and condemnations. We will remain addicted to putting people and things in their “right” place.”

“As soon as we are alone,…inner chaos opens up in us. This chaos can be so disturbing and so confusing that we can hardly wait to get busy again. Entering a private room and shutting the door, therefore, does not mean that we immediately shut out all our inner doubts, anxieties, fears, bad memories, unresolved conflicts, angry feelings and impulsive desires. On the contrary, when we have removed our outer distraction, we often find that our inner distraction manifest themselves to us in full force. We often use the outer distractions to shield ourselves from the interior noises. This makes the discipline of solitude all the more important.”

― Henri J.M. Nouwen

Grief – The Eyes that Drowned Uyuni.

You were right, [sweetheart]. I am a slave – your slave. You freed me, but that was your way of tagging me, of tagging my soul.

Coming in February 2014 to a bookstore near you.

Pre-order here.

Or enter the giveaway here.

It’s never all good. Never:-)

None is good, says the Lord. No one. We should stop pretending to a goodness that offends God and accept our faults: if one day we have to accept a wager with the Devil, let us remember that our Father who is in heaven did exactly the same in order to save the soul of His servant Job.

- The Devil and Miss Prym (2000) by Paulo Coelho

Strength in Solitude?

For those who are not frightened by the solitude that reveals all mysteries, everything will have a different taste.

In solitude, they will discover the love that might otherwise arrive unnoticed. In solitude, they will understand and respect the love that left them.

In solitude, they will be able to decide whether it is worth asking that lost love to come back or if they should simply let it go and set off along a new path.

In solitude, they will learn that saying ‘No’ does not always show a lack of generosity and that saying ‘Yes’ is not always a virtue.

And those who are alone at this moment, need never be frightened by the words of the devil: ‘You’re wasting your time.’

Or by the chief demon’s even more potent words: ‘No one cares about you.’

The Divine Energy is listening to us when we speak to other people, but also when we are still and silent and able to accept solitude as a blessing.

And in that moment, Its light illumines everything around us and helps us to see that we are necessary, and that our presence on Earth makes a huge difference to Its work.

Taken from MANUSCRIPT FOUND IN ACCRA (now in paperback)

- Paulo Coelho.

Envy – The Eyes that Drowned Uyuni.

I would do that in front of her, by her side, desperate to get her express attention. But nothing – absolutely nothing – would make this girl jealous. She was a confident lover – like a lioness.

“Try it. You won’t get far. I’ve got you – by the breaths. I’ve got you. – by the horns. You are MINE!”

Coming in February 2014 to a bookstore near you.

Pre-order here.

Or enter the giveaway here.

Submission – The Eyes that Drowned Uyuni.

How can you make love like a tigress, nurture like a peacock, yet kill so heartlessly – like a hyena?

Is this the fate of the most fervent of all relationships – to give all of ‘self’, to be consumed – so wholly, so mercilessly?

Coming in February 2014 to a bookstore near you.

Pre-order here.

Or enter the giveaway here.

Passion – The Eyes that Drowned Uyuni.

He was unique.

He was quirky.

He was honest.

He taught of beauty. Of Art. Of life. Of passion.

He never used any books.

His classes were more like workshops where we talked openly. There was no shame. No inhibitions. No reservations.

We talked of pride. Of nature. Of love. Of freedom.

Coming in February 2014 to a bookstore near you.

Pre-order here.

Or enter the giveaway here.

Anger – The Eyes that Drowned Uyuni.

“Told? By who? Who is asking you to play such petty jokes? Do you have any idea what you just did to [this little girl]? You showed her a moment of paradise, and brutally snatched it back in the next…”

I was trying very hard to remember the anger management tricks from Guruji: to count backwards, slowly, and with deep breaths.

Only this time, it was not working.

Coming in February 2014 to a bookstore near you.

Pre-order here.

Or enter the giveaway here.

Sunday bit: When Sun ceases to shine …

Life is too short for us to keep important words, for example, ‘I love you’, locked in our hearts.

But do not always expect to hear the same words back. We love because we need to love. Otherwise, love loses all meaning and the sun ceases to shine.

- Paulo Coelho

Socially responsible Capitalism. A Pipe Dream, or Reality?

More and more people are fighting stress, anxiety, and uncertainty in life today, compared to the pre-industrialization world. More and more psychological conditions and disorders are surfacing, some classified as ‘diseases’.

We could talk for hours and months trying to go to the roots and causes of it all, debating with or without facts, sticking to our beliefs and opinions. So I will rather focus on what can be done in the present, knowing what we do, to ease pains of daily living (most will call these the first world problems, but I will refrain from defining or classifying information. We shall treat data as it is in the context of this blog and conversation if one breaks out). Continued here …