Some beautiful short stories from Paulo Coelho's "Maktub"

1)

The scientist, Roger Pemrose, was walking with some friends and talking animatedly. He fell silent only in order to cross the street. "I remember that -- as I was crossing the street -- an incredible idea came to me," Pemrose said. "But, as soon as we reached the other side, we picked up where we left off, and I couldn't remember what I thought of just a few seconds earlier." Late in the afternoon, Pemrose began to feel euphoric -- without knowing why. "I had the feeling that something had been revealed to me," he said. He decided to go back over every minute of the day, and -- when he remembered the moment when he was crossing the street -- the idea came back to him. This time, he wrote it down. It was the theory of black holes, a revolutionary theory in modern physics. And it came back to him because Pemrose was able to recall the silence that we always fall into as we cross a street.

2)

The master says: "Today would be a good day for doing something out of the ordinary. We could, for example, dance through the streets on our way to work. Look directly into the eyes of a stranger, and speak of love at first sight. Give the boss an idea that may seem ridiculous, an idea we've never mentioned before. The Warriors of the Light allow themselves such days. "Today, we could cry over some ancient injustices that still stick in our craw. We could phone someone we vowed never to speak to again (but from whom we would love to receive a message on the answering machine). Today could be considered a day outside the script that we write every morning. "Today, any fault will be permitted and forgiven. Today is a day to enjoy life."

3)

"Let's go to the mountain where God abides," said a cavalier to his friend. "I want to prove that all He knows how to do is to ask things of us, while he does nothing to provide us with relief from our burdens." "Well, I'm going there to demonstrate my faith," said the other. They arrived at the top of the mountain at night -- and they heard a voice in the darkness: "Load down your horses with the stones from the ground." "See?!" said the first cavalier. "After a climb like that, he wants to make us carry an even heavier burden. I shall not obey!" The second did as the voice had bidden. As he reached the foot of the mountain, it was dawn, and the first rays of the sun shone upon the stone that the pious cavalier had carried: they were the purest of diamonds." The master says: "God's decisions are mysterious; but they are always in our favor."

4)

The monastery on the bank of the Rio Piedra is surrounded by beautiful vegetation -- it is a true oasis within the sterile fields of that part of Spain. There, the small river becomes a mighty current, and is split into dozens of waterfalls. The wanderer is walking through the area, hearing the music of the waters. Suddenly, a grotto -- behind one of the cataracts -- captures his attention. He studies the rocks, worn by time, and regards the lovely forms created patiently by nature. And he finds a verse by R. Tagore inscribed on a plaque: "It is not a hammer that made these rocks so perfect, but water -- with its sweetness, its dance and its song." Where force can only destroy, gentleness can sculpt.

5)

The wanderer is at the feast of Saint John, with its tents, archery contests and country food. Suddenly, a clown begins to mimic his gestures. People laugh, and the wanderer laughs, as well, and invites the clown to have coffee with him. "Commit to life!" says the clown. "If you are alive, you have to shake your arms, jump around, make noise, laugh and talk to people. Because life is exactly the opposite of death. "To die is to remain forever in the same position. If you are too quiet, you are not living."

6)

The German philosopher, Schopenhauer, was strolling along a street in Dresden, seeking the answers to questions that bothered him. Passing by a garden, he decided to sit and look at the flowers. One of the residents of the neighborhood observed the philosopher's strange behavior and summoned the police. Minutes later, an officer approached Schopenhauer. "Who are you," the officer asked brusquely. Schopenhauer looked the policeman up and down. "If you can help me find the answer to that question," he said, "I will be eternally grateful to you."