<히말라야 도서관>에서

p.92 ..제가 마이크로소프트에서 배운 것이 있다면 그것은 크게 생각하는 것입니다.

p.111 사람들은 보통 가난한 마을이나 에이즈에 걸린 아이에 관한 방송을 보면 마음 아파한다. 파리가 온 몸에 붙어 있는 어린이나 먼지 속에 누워있는 굶주린 가족의 사진을 보여주는 것이 기금을 모으는 데는 효과적일 것이다. 이런 방송을 볼 때마다 나 역시 마음이 너무 아프지만 후원금을 조성할 때 가난을 이용하는 것은 되도록 피한다. 이런 영상들은 인간의 존엄성을 해친다는 생각이 들어서다. 물론 내 생각이 잘못되었을 수도 있다. 하지만 죄책감을 마케팅 도구로 이용할 생각은 전혀 없다.

p.149 ..마이크로소프트의 사훈은 '크게 행동하라. 아니면 집에 가라'였다. 변화를 만들길 원한다면 기억해야 할 말이다. 아직도 전 세계에는 많은 문제들이 있다. 시간을 들여 열정을 보이고 싶다면 원대한 방법으로 생각하고 뛰어들어야 한다.

p.195 "실천할 수 없다고 말하는 사람은 실천하고 있는 사람을 비난해선 안 된다."(중국속담)

** 이 책은 읽기에 따라 성공담일 수도 있고, 자기계발류일 수도 있는 책이다. 하여튼 저자는 세상을 바꾼 사람임에 틀림없다. 부럽다.

판차탄트라를 읽으며

지난 인도 여행 중 콜카타의 헌책방에서 사 온 <판차탄트라>라는 어린이 동화책을 뒤적이다 발견한 사실.

먼저 판차탄트라에 대한 간략한 설명은 이렇다.

The stories of Pnachatantra, originally written in Sanskrit, are very old. Legend has it that a king who had three foolish sons engaged a versatile teacher, Vishnusarman who taught them how to be happy and be successful in life.  Pancha means five, tantra means doctrines of conduct or modes of action, namely, confidence or firmness of mind, creation of prosperity of affluence, earnest endeavour, friendship, and knowledge.

주로 동물 이야기를 통해서 생활의 지혜를 어린이에게 가르친다는 내용이다.

아랍문화권의 <칼릴라와 딤나>는 물론 <그림동화>, <아라비안나이트>에도 지대한 영향을 끼쳤다고 한다. 물론 우리 나라의 <별주부전>의 할아버지뻘되는 작품도 있다. <The Monkey and The Crocodile>인데, 이걸 읽으면서 생각한 점은.....'한국 고유'의 어쩌구 하는 표현을 섣불리 하면 좀 뭔가 모자라 보인다는 것이다. 어릴 적 '한국의 푸른 가을 하늘'도 그랬었다. 더 푸른 하늘도 세상엔 널려 있건만 유독 우리의 가을 하늘이 제일인 것인양 내세웠던 시절. 얼마나 자랑 거리가 아쉬웠으면 그랬을까 싶다가도 한바탕 속은 것 같은 묘한 기분이었다.

내 생각이란 것도 사실은 내게 아니고 어디서 왔겠지만서도....

The Alchemist ( by Paulo Coelho)에서 인상적인 글

p.21  "...because there is one great turth on this planet: whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it's because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It's your mission on earth."

p.29  ".... I want to tell you a little story........A happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.

p.125 ..happiness could be found in a grain of sand from the desert...because a grain of sand is a moment of creation, and the universe has taken millions of years to create it. Everyone on earth has a treasure that awaits him.

p.126  What you still need to know is this: before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our  dreams, master the lessons we're learned as we've moved toward that dream. That's the point at which most people give up. It's the point at which, as we say in the language of the desert, one 'dies of thirst just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon.'

"Every search begins with beginner's luck. And every search ends with the victor's being severely tested."

The boy remembered an old proverb from his country. It said that the darkest hour of the night came just before the dawn.

p.130  ..teach me about alchemy..." You already know about alchemy. It is about penetrating to the Soul of the World, and discovering the treasure that has been reserved for you."

p.140  I learned the alchemist's secrets in my travels. I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the same hand, and we have the same soul.

p.143 "This is why alchemy exists," the boy said. "So that everyone will search for his treasure, find it, and then want to be better than he was in his former life. Lead will play its role until the world has no further need for lead; and then lead will have to turn itself into gold.

"That's what alchemists do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better,too."

148 'Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.'(Arabian proverb)

페르세폴리스 2 -- 에서 인상적인 글

p.95 모녀간의 대화

 Daughter: Ah, there's nothing like Iranian tea!

Mom: Oh yes, especially with a cigarette. Do you want one?

Daughter: Mom!

Mom: What? You know the proverb:"Prosperity consists of two things: tea after a meal, and a cigarette after tea."

Daughter: (It was the first time that my mother had spoken to me in this tone: in her eyes now, I had become an adult.)

p.159 딸의 결혼 승낙을 하는 장면에서 미래의 사위에게 하는 아버지의 말

As your future father-in-law, I'm taking the liberty of asking you three things.

First, you are surely aware that in this country a woman's "Right to divorce" is not guaranteed. She only has it if her husband allows this option during the signing of the marriage certificate. My daughter must enjoy this right.

Second: My wife and I have raised our daughter with complete freedom. If she spends her whole life in Iran, she'll wither. I'm therefore asking the both of you to leave to continue your studies in Europe after your diploma. You will have my financial support.

Third: Live together as long as you feel truly happy. Life is too short to be lived badly.

p.173 씩씩한 주인공에게 박수를!!!!!

Once again, I arrived at my usual conclusion: One must educate oneself.