A story by Kahlil Gibran
I was
strolling in the gardens of an insane asylum when I met a young man who was
reading a philosophy book.
His behavior
and his evident good health made him stand out from the other inmates.
I sat down
beside him and asked:
‘What are you
doing here?’
He looked at
me, surprised. But seeing that I was not one of the doctors, he replied:
‘It’s very
simple. My father, a brilliant lawyer, wanted me to be like him. My uncle, who
owns a large emporium, hoped I would follow his example. My mother wanted me to
be the image of her beloved father. My sister always set her husband before me
as an example of the successful man. My brother tried to train me up to be a
fine athlete like himself.
And the same
thing happened at school, with the piano teacher and the English teacher – they
were all convinced and determined that they were the best possible example to
follow. None of them looked at me as one should look at a man, but as if they
were looking in a mirror.
So I decided
to enter this asylum. At least here I can be myself.’
Author: Paulo Coelho
No comments:
Post a Comment