The Story of the Pencil

Currently I am reading ’Like the Flowing River’ by Paulo Coelho, which is highly recommended. I have already red all his previous books, liked some more than others. On some other occasion I will talk more about each book, and how it affected me as a person. I like to share this particular passage with you, as it has occupied my mind for the past few days.

If you have a pencil in front of you take it up and follow me with the pencil in your hand, you will have a better understanding of the story. A Pencil has got five qualities, if you manage to hang on to all the five, it will make you a person who will be at peace with the world.

1. First Quality: you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God, and He always guides us according to His will.
2. Secong Quality: now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpener. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you too must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person.

3. Third Quality: the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice.
4. Forth Quality: what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you.
5. Fifth Quality: it always leaves a mark. In just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action.

Now start writing with the pencil in your hand!