An accumulation of awakened senses
Tulip Chowdhury falls in love with life's serene aspects
7 December 2007, 18:00 PM
Like the Flowing River
Paulo Coelho
HarperCollins
Paulo Coelho, the Brazilian born master storyteller, has done it again: he has presented readers with a piece of a gem. This astonishing, breathtaking book Like a Flowing River awakens the reader and rekindles the aesthetic senses. It is an intimate collection of the writer's reflections and short stories. These are tales of the living and the dying. They are tales of life and love, of the choices made in life. Some of the tales are humorous and others are serious. However, they all tell profound tales. The tales delve into human lives and draw out wisdom. Like real life experiences we seem to learn by trial and error as we go through the narratives of the writer.
The book is a collection of anecdotes, ideas and autobiographical drafts and represents fascinating observations. Deriving inspiration from work and experience, Coelho offers visions of his own philosophical thoughts. The book is named Like the Flowing River for the serene views of life that the writer offers. The stories hold the synopsis of everyday life, stories that throw light on love and the ambiguity of life. The reader often finds himself or herself identifying with the views of the writer. The facts presented are believable and touch the cords of truth.
In Like the Flowing River there is a reflection about "A Day at the Mill". Here the writer sets about clearing up weeds from his garden. At one point he feels sorry for the weeds for they too are life and life of any kind is precious. He is perplexed between the desire to create a beautiful garden and the destruction of the weeds. However, there dawns within him the truth that life will have some undesirable portions. Therefore, he comes up with this lesson: " If something undesirable grows in my soul, I ask God to give me the same courage to mercilessly pluck it out."
In " The Funny Thing About Human Beings", Coelho writes, "We are in such a hurry to grow up and then we long for our lost childhood. We make ourselves ill earning money and then spend all our money on getting well again. We think so much about the future that we neglect the present and thus experience neither the present nor the future. We live as if we were never going to die and die as if we had never lived."
The writer's perceptions on life are revealing and are like a window to our own outlook on life. The ideas involving real life experience are no doubt a realistic approach to life and do not fail to influence the reader into coming up with his or her own life axioms. It is an excellent literary forum for anyone who is looking for one. Coelho's writing is beautifully poetic and his messages in the writings are what count. He can make his readers think, can make them sad or make them smile. The pieces recorded in Like the Flowing River are life enhancing. Coelho was always a nonconformist and a seeker of the new. When, in the excitement of 1968, the guerilla and hippy movements took hold in a Brazil ruled by a repressive military regime, Coelho embraced progressive politics and joined the peace and love generation. He sought spiritual experiences traveling all over Latin America. Like the Flowing River is like a river falling into the sea, it is a culmination of his experiences, an accumulation of all the awakened senses. The observations are at the zenith of his gathering of wisdom in life.
Many of the pieces in Like the Flowing River reflect human nature. In one the writer says. " It is part of human nature to judge others very severely and when the wind blows against us, always to find an excuse for our own misdeeds or to blame someone else for our mistakes." There follows a revealing story to justify this point of view, a story that the reader should read.
There are times when Coelho speaks of simple people and yet reveals great truths. He and his wife meet an old woman in Rio de Janeiro. The woman lives on a wheelchair. There are two plastic bags hanging at the back of the wheelchair. She sleeps in shop doorways and lives off handouts. As the writer and his wife watch the old woman take out two packets of milk from one of the plastic bags and give them to two beggars who stand near her. The old woman explains to Coelho, " People are charitable to me and so I must be charitable to others."
Coelho speaks of the greatest gift humans can give each other and that is love. Love conquers all. He writes, under the title "Remaining Open to Love", about the need for love for everyone. The writer says, "When we can do nothing else, we can still love, without expecting any reward or change or gratitude. When we do this the, the energy of love will begin to transform the universe about us."
The writer's insight into people's life is astounding. The book is like a vivid picture of people in different scenarios of life. It is richly authentic in its period details and fresh and contemporary in its style. The stories bounce back and forth presenting unforgettable events. The writer can be called a fabulist of ideas. The tales seem to touch one's heart and shake the senses awake. The book is like a good friend that you return to repeatedly to hear the good words. Once you read the book you will surely keep it near the hand to pick it up again and again.
Tulip Chowdhury teaches, writes fiction and composes poetry.
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