“The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.”
Paulo Coehlo was born on August 24, 1947 to his devout Catholic parents. Coehlo was institutionalized by his parents three times for being very rebellious during his teen years. After getting out of the institute he began writing song lyrics for musicians in Brazil. He was jailed three times for protesting the military rules of Brazil, through song lyrics. While in jail, he was tortured by the other jailers. He was inspired to write The Pilgrimage, while visiting Spain when he was 36 years old. The experiences and spiritual awakening is what led to his inspiration to write his first book. He then went on to write the book, The Alchemist, in 1987. The Alchemist is a book about an Andalusian shepherd boy who receives his heart’s desire by learning to speak the “Language of the world.” With new translations written of the book, it has sold about 35 million copies. Coehlo has written 26 books in at least 59 languages. He founded the Paulo Coehlo Institute in 1996 to help support children and elders. He lives in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with his wife, where they spend part of their time, the other part in spent living in Pyrenees Mountains of France.
Paulo Coehlo was quoted saying, “The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.” The meaning of this particular quote is that we all have our own opinions on pretty much every subject we can think of, but that is really all it is, our opinion. Opinions are not going to make changes in the world, however by being a leading example will change our world. Be a positive role model, be a good example to those around us.
Coehlo determined early in his life that he wanted to become a writer, but was heavily discouraged by his parents. In his parents’ opinion, being a writer would not be a wise future. Throughout the years of writing his books, he had many critics who believed that his books reject self-help labels and promotes vague spirituality. He did not let his critics stop him from his writings. He did not let his parents’ opinion of what they felt he should be derail him becoming a famous author. He instead has chosen to lead by example instead of opinions.
In my lifetime I have met some very opinionated people. While I have no real issue with people have lots of opinions about me and how I choose to live my life, I become somewhat bothered when they begin attacking me on my faith. I am a Christian, I have messed up, been steered in the wrong direction before. I have made bad choices in my past and continue to stay focused on my future and not dwell on what happened then. People will say, ”You call yourself a Christian,” or “ I don’t think that’s what Jesus would do.” These are just a couple of other’s opinions. The best response I have seen to these statements is, “I may be a Christian, but I am also a human being who will make mistakes.” I believe the world has been changed by people having too many opinions and being offended by everything and everyone.
We all can make a difference in the world by being an example, not by throwing around our opinions.
Works Cited
"Paulo Coelho." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. N.D. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.<http://www.biography.com/people/paulo-coelho-5524>.
