Living with Others- Paulo Coelho
Published on October 28 2009 at http://paolocoelhoblog.com
"Why do you live in the desert?"
“Because I can’t be what I want to be. When I begin to be myself, people treat me with a reverence that’s false. When I am true to my faith, then they begin to doubt. They all believe they are holier than I, but they pretend they are sinners, afraid to insult my solitude. They try all the time to show that they consider me a saint, and in this way they become emissaries of the devil, tempting me with Pride.
“Your problem isn’t trying to be who you are, but accepting others of the way they are. And acting this way, it’s better to stay in the desert,” said the gentleman, walking off.