Manuscript Found in Accra by Paulo Coelho, Margaret Jull Costa Page B

have to listen to yet another sermon about these invaders calling themselves “crusaders”?
    For a moment, the Copt appeared to savor the general confusion. And then, after a long silence, he explained:
    “They can destroy the city, but they cannot destroy everything the city has taught us, which is why it is vital that this knowledge does not suffer the same fate as our walls, houses, and streets. But what is knowledge?”
    When no one replied, he went on:
    “It isn’t the absolute truth about life and death, but the thing that helps us to live and confront the challenges of day-to-day life. It isn’t what we learn from books, which serves only to fuel futile arguments about what happened or will happen; it is the knowledge that lives in the hearts of men and women of good will.”
    The Copt said:
    “I am a learned man, and yet, despite having spent all these years restoring antiquities, classifying objects,recording dates, and discussing politics, I still don’t know quite what to say to you. But I will ask the Divine Energy to purify my heart. You will ask me questions, and I will answer them. That is what the teachers of Ancient Greece did; their disciples would ask them questions about problems they had not yet considered, and the teachers would answer them.”
    “And what shall we do with your answers?” someone asked.
    “Some will write down what I say. Others will remember my words. The important thing is that tonight you will set off for the four corners of the world, telling others what you have heard. That way, the soul of Jerusalem will be preserved. And one day, we will be able to rebuild Jerusalem, not just as a city, but as a center of knowledge and a place where peace will once again reign.”
    “We all know what awaits us tomorrow,” said another man. “Wouldn’t it be better to discuss how to negotiate for peace or prepare ourselves for battle?”
    The Copt looked at the other religious men beside him and then immediately turned back to the crowd.
    “None of us can know what tomorrow will hold, because each day has its good and its bad moments. So,when you ask your questions, forget about the troops outside and the fear inside. Our task is not to leave a record of what happened on this date for those who will inherit the Earth; history will take care of that. Therefore, we will speak about our daily lives, about the difficulties we have had to face. That is all the future will be interested in, because I do not believe very much will change in the next thousand years.”

Then my neighbor Yakob said:
    “Speak to us about defeat.”

 
    Does a leaf, when it falls from the tree in winter, feel defeated by the cold?
    The tree says to the leaf: “That’s the cycle of life. You may think you’re going to die, but you live on in me. It’s thanks to you that I’m alive, because I can breathe. It’s also thanks to you that I have felt loved, because I was able to give shade to the weary traveler. Your sap is in my sap; we are one thing.”
    Does a man who spent years preparing to climb the highest mountain in the world feel defeated when, on reaching that mountain, he discovers that nature has cloaked the summit in storm clouds? The man says to the mountain: “You don’t want me this time, but the weather will change and, one day, I will make it to the top. Meanwhile, you’ll still be here waiting for me.”
    Does a young man, rejected by his first love, declarethat love does not exist? The young man says to himself: “I’ll find someone better able to understand what I feel. And then I will be happy for the rest of my days.”
    In the cycle of nature there is no such thing as victory or defeat; there is only movement.
    The winter struggles to reign supreme, but in the end is obliged to accept spring’s victory, which brings with it flowers and happiness.
    The summer would like to make its warm days last forever, because it believes that warmth is good for the Earth. But, in the end, it