Old Tree in the Forest

It is really a great wonder how the mind works. We are often gripped with a feeling near awe when we marvel works of the creative mind. Goosebumps populate the skin as we see the aesthetics unfold in our mortal eyes. We will be transported to a wonderful world where pain and darkness are converted into something wonderful…best, meaningful.

I have always been a reader. Part of my being is to venture into the minds of those writers who grab me by the collar and push me to dark pits, not abysmal but areas where there are touching grounds. The journey towards the base always unhinges my old beliefs and sometimes shatters my prior concepts of life.

Filtering what to feed the gray matters in my head is easy. I do not want to be hooked to the pop culture where everybody is talking the same. Although I read the bestsellers but I always venture on the Bookerman shortlist, the sci fi, the macabre, the classics and genre which could be considered as trips to the alternative or yet, parallel universe.

My friend Simeon bought me twenty books from Italy. Most of them are from internationally-known Paulo Coelho. I shied away from his books some years ago since they were selling like hotcakes. I might be trapped with banal talk, I quipped. I was wrong. It was only then when I ventured into his prose (mostly translated into English) when I had this realization: There are still those who could connect to their spirits and are looking for the meaning of their existence! This is being manifest through the international acclaim the author gained. A theory I developed as I delved deeper into Coelho’s mind.

There are things that he introduced to me which created a lot of itch which I need to scratch. One is this: Why would beggars and homeless people think brilliantly than those who are successful ones? Are these really their thoughts? Here is one line of thought which struck me from a nomad: The world we know today is merely a story someone has told us, but it is not the true story. The other story includes special gifts and powers and the ability to go beyond what we know (The Zahir, 2005).

It seems then that the beggars are correct as they tell the main character that he is not who he is but a product of his past. The society dictates his so-called norms that is the reason why he had to study and work. The reason why, we the readers, eat breakfast, lunch and dinner is because it is dictated by our history…to un-conform to such societal dictates is to face the future…to be free from the past. Beggars (like those in his novel) are freeing themselves from their past by not being NORMAL at present.

In By The River Pietra I Sat Down and Wept, Coelho underscored the innate longing of the faithful (especially Catholics) to the female side of God. He insinuated that the reason why we adore The Lady (Our Lady) is because we want to be nurtured by the loving affection of a woman… God has this feminine nurturing side that we embrace Our Lady. His concepts might not be accepted by many but awakenings and shedding of shrouds are often experienced as he unveils his own truths.

ADULTERY tackles marital relationships which could be considered as perfect to the point that committing taboo deepens the understanding of a woman how to put imperfections to allow her to FEEL. It seems that a perfect life started to become boring and flat there must be meaning on drugs and extra-marital affairs. The plot could be difficult to accept and understand yet the basic truth of being insatiable often surface in all of us. It takes a married couple to jump from a cliff allowing windsurfing to free themselves from the criteria they set to define life.

Yes, Coelho’s books could be spiritual and deep. One could not even imagine them to be converted into films for the spirit could be difficult to project virtually. It would take intelligent actors to convince the viewers to understand the inner struggles of humanity. The business moguls might be disheartened to realize that the millions they will spend for production could not be compensated. How could one pay a ticket only to be shattered and proceed to the mending process?

I wanted to talk to someone after reading one of his books. The college boy whom we consider as a brother told me to slow down. He said that such things are only discussed by people who are OLD and DYING. He might be right…

We need to die first and be resurrected to the new truths that we find meaningful. We have to get old and ripen our understanding about love so to live.

Thriving on the Margins

Matinamajon. We often hear people belittle others to the point that one could wonder whether the one displacing the comment is a superhero in the making. We cringe on the thought of being criticized much more being labeled into something we are not. We dislike hearing people looking into us as if we are specimens of an experiment. Yet there are those individuals amongst the society who thrive in to this act. They act superior to us. They see us as lesser beings. Their world is so perfect it seems that we do not belong in it.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines belittling as an act of making an action or a person seem unimportant. Brown (2013) said that belittling is the intentional act of making another feel worthless, empty, and dismissed.  It is one of many forms of psychological and emotional abuse.  Belittling another often creates a personal emptiness and void.  It can create a sense of loneliness and despair in the lives of many.

But why do others dwell on this act? Is it a crutch since they themselves are deprived of something that there is a need to fortify the weakness inside him/her?

Some people, really want to be on the top, they believe that they are powerful enough to lead, and take the top most position in this ladder. Some, even if they are not all that powerful and dominant, have come up with an excuse for why they should be on the top. This is nothing but a motive to re-assert their social status, often born out of jealousy and greed. These also has other roots. These people are willing to do anything to make themselves appear better than yourself. They usually: 1)Make the smallest of your mistakes a huge event; 2)Try to prove others are wrong, even if it is the mundane thing; 3)Always try to assert their false status…Soon, they have this feeling of entitlement to their pseudo-position (Manivannan, 2016).

Those who bring you down are either unhappy or find prejudice as an avenue for them to feel important and being noticed. Most of the insecure people tend to judge others and their work so that others’ attention will be diverted to them rather than the one being appreciated. They always see something wrong with the persons and the outputs they are able to create. And since they do not have the capacity to do such, they will then resort to belittling the person or his/her creation.

According to Evans (2017): There are lots of different kinds of people who bring you down. On one extreme is the very gruff person with an obvious chip on her shoulder, and when she comes in the room, she makes no bones about the fact that she is going to put you down or invalidate your ideas. You have no doubt who those people are.

On the other extreme, you have people who are very polite and gracious. And yet, after talking with them, somehow you're aware of your faults and shortcomings, your limitations, the misery or danger of everything, etc. These people may compliment you and smile and do all the other stuff you associate with a friend, and yet somehow you feel bad after being with him or her.

That’s why, choose! We have the power in our hands to filter whom to affiliate with and whom to discard in our lives. Our existence in this world is fleeting and it is not good to fill it with painful experiences because of the ailments of others. It is their responsibility to make their minds healthy especially if they are already adults. Also, education is within our reach these days. If they choose NOT to understand themselves through self-help books and educational feedback, let them be. Their pathetic world must not muddle with ours!

Belittling words will fight for control of your subconscious. Don’t let them win. Once you’ve fully processed the words you heard, it’s time to counteract them. No matter what the words were, whether they diminished your intelligence, capabilities, profession, age, gender, sexual preference, etc., you can find evidence in your life that proves them wrong. Take the time to gather that evidence.

Humans are biased towards negativity. It’s so easy to believe the mean things we hear, it’s far more difficult to believe the good. So you have to fight for your thoughts. Fight for your subconscious and make losing not an option (strongsensitivesouls.com, 2018).

In the end, their pitiful existence and judgmental words might just be mere dust on our shoulders. All we need to do is brush them off and continue with our quest to make our imperfections matter.