Warrior of the Light

by Paulo Coelho

A Warrior of the Light knows what he wants. And he has no need to waste time on explanations.

A Warrior takes every opportunity to teach himself.

Then the Warrior realizes that these repeated experiences have but one aim: to teach him what he does not want to learn.

A Warrior of the Light is never predictable. He might dance down the street on his way to work, gaze into the eyes of a complete stranger and speak of love at first sight, or defend an apparently absurd idea. Warriors of the Light allow themselves days like these.

A Warrior does not spend his days trying to play the role that others have chosen for him.

While he meditates, the Warrior is not himself, but a spark from the Soul of the World.

A Warrior of the Light sometimes thinks: “If I do not do something, it will not be done.” It is not quite like that: He must act, but he must allow room for the Universe to act too.

The Warrior notices that when a horse is about to jump over a fence, it tenses all its muscles. But he never confuses tension with anxiety.

A Warrior never picks fruit while it is still green.

You can recognize a Warrior of the Light by the look in his eye. Warriors of the Light are in the world, they form part of the world, and they were sent into the world without saddlebags or sandals. They are often cowardly. They do not always act correctly. Warriors of the Light are wounded by the most foolish things, they worry about trivialities, they believe themselves incapable of growing. Warriors of the Light sometimes believe themselves unworthy of any blessing or miracle. Warriors of the Light often ask themselves what they are doing here. Often they find their lives meaningless. That is why they are Warriors of the Light. Because they fail. Because they ask questions. Because they keep looking for a meaning. And, in the end, they will find it.

There are moments when one should act and moments when one should accept. The Warrior knows how to distinguish between these moments.

There are two types of prayer. In the first type, the person asks for certain things to happen and attempts to tell God what he should do. This does not allow the Creator either time or space in which to act. God—who knows perfectly well what is best for each of us—will continue to do as he sees fit. And the person praying is left with the impression that his prayer went unanswered. In the second type, the person may not understand the Almighty’s intentions, but he allows his life to develop according to his Creator’s plans. He asks to be spared suffering, he asks for joy in the Good Fight, but he never forgets to add: “Thy will be done.” This is how the Warrior of the Light chooses to pray.