Wise words by Coelho Part 1 - taken from "Like the Flowing River"

I've just finished reading one of Paulo Coelho's lastest works, Like the Flowing River, which is a collection of articles, essays and such buch a great read and I will be putting some of the excerpts that touched me the most on here for you to have a read

STATUTES FOR THE NEW MILENNIUM

1. We are all different, and should do what we can to remain so
2. Each human being was given two possibilities: action and contemplation. Both lead to the same place
3. Each human being was give two qualities: power and the gift. Power directs us towards our destiny, teh gift obliges us to share with others what is best in us
4. Each human being was given a virtue: the ability to choose. Anyone who fails to use this virtue transforms it into a curse, and others will choose for them.
5. Each human being has his or her own sexual identity and should be able to exercise that identity without guilt as long as they do not force that sexual identity on to others.
6. Every human being has a personal legend to be fulfilled, and this is our reason for being in the world. This personal legend manifests itself in our enthusiasm for the task.
7. On can abandon one's personal legend for a time, as long as one does not forget about it entirely and returns to it as soon as possible
8. Every man has a feminine side, and every woman a masculine side. It is important to use discipline with intuition and to use intuition with objectivity.
9. Every human being should know two languages: the language of society and the language of signs. One serves to communicate with other people, the other serves to understand God's messages.
10. Every human being has the right to search for happiness, and by 'happiness' is meant something that makes that individual feel content, not necessarily something that makes other people feel content
11. Every human being should keep alive within them the sacred flame of madness, but should behave as a normal person
12. Only the following items should be considered to be grave faults: not respecting another's rights, allowing ourself to be paralysed by fear, feeling guilty, believing that one does not deserve the good or ill that happens in one's life, being a coward. We will love our enemies but not make alliances with them. They were placed in our path in order to test our sword, and we should, out of respect for them, struggle against them. We will choose our enemies.
13. All religions lead to the same God, and all deserve the same respect. Anyone who chooses a religion is also choosing a collective way of worshipping and sharing he mysteries. Nevertheless, that person is the only one responsible for his or her actions along the way and has no right to shift responsibility for any personal decisions on to that religion.
14. It is hereby decreed that the wall separating the sacred and the profane be torn now. From now on, everything is sacred
15. Everything that is done in the present affects the future in the form of consequence and affects the past in the form of redemption
16. All statutes to the contrary are revoked.

Impressive and thoughtful, no?

The ultimate journey to Norway - Leg 1- Kalmar to Bergen, Norway

This week, 5 classmates of mine and myself who study at University of Kalmar in Sweden have embarked on a landmark trip for us which will take us cross country through Norway. Yesterday- April1 , we left Kalmar Central Station by train and took a train trip for 12 hours, stopping in 2 different cities..Alvesta, Hallsberg on the way to Oslo. The trip was not as bad as we thought and we had a chance to talk a lot and learn a lot about each other. Upon arrival in Oslo, we had a two hour wait and took the opportunity to see a bit of Oslo at night, which was nice and interesting to see this capital city of one of the world's most touted and respected countries. I was really surprised about two things on the way to Oslo, 1. the difference in the way Sweden looked, because I have only seen the south of Sweden and Stockholm but this journey took us through the middle of Sweden and it looked very rural and almost like scenes from American Western movies. The second surprise was that while we walked in Oslo, just around the station, the city teemed with foreign faces, more so that the expected Norwegian ones, an obvious sign of high immigration, legally or otherwise to Norway. We caught the night train which was not as comfortable as we anticipated but we made ourselves comfortable and prepared for the 8 hour trip from Oslo to Bergen. I had a bit of a problem getting to sleep because I was very anxious about the trip, getting there etc and I was amazed through the night as a full moon, very bright shone down on us and we passed through areas of Norway covered in thick sheets and walls of snow ....Norway has the most amazing landscape I have seen in Europe, definitely beating back Sweden. We arrived in Bergen to find a beautiful city on the coast, an ex-capital of Norway and significant location for trade in the Hanseatic League. We took the Funiculare to Mt. Fyren in Bergen and were able to see a nice view of the city. Norway is an extremely expensive location however, so we will endeavour to spend as little as possible. We also visited the city Fish Market and had the opportunity to taste whale. We are all tired but just had a simple pasta lunch and tomorrow we head out on a 24 hr trip by train to Bodo and we will catch a boat from Bodo to Tromso.
Keep posted for updates.....