The Book of Manuals by Coelho Paulo

Author:Coelho, Paulo [Coelho, Paulo]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9788461625567
Publisher: Sant Jordi Asociados
Published: 2013-02-04T17:00:00+00:00

Two ineffectual solutions

Once a crisis has begun, the worst possible ways to react are:

A. Ignore the problem. Maria knows that João, her husband, is about to be fired from his job, which will make it hard for the family to survive. However, since João doesn’t mention the matter, she pretends she doesn’t know.

B. Deny the problem exists. João, for his part, thinks that with the contacts he has made during his working life, he will get another opportunity, thus failing to acknowledge just how serious his situation is. He forgets one of the hardest rules of life, spoken by Jesus: ‘From him that has not shall be taken away even that which he has’. The moment he loses his job all those contacts will disappear, because João will have nothing to offer in exchange.

C. Refuse to ask for help. João and Maria have spent many years together, and know each other extremely well. João can only think of his problems, because a crisis absorbs all of a person’s energies. Maria might be able to help him, but, out of pride, he cannot share his difficulties. As a result, João, unable to think clearly, sinks further and further into his sea of troubles.

D. Lie or tell half-truths. One day, Maria screws up her courage and, as they about to go to sleep, asks if something is wrong. João answers: ‘I’m thinking of changing my job.’ Clearly, from a legal point of view, this could be said to be true – since João is about to be fired, he really is considering finding a new job. Maria says nothing more. The pressure in João’s mind grows, because he suspects that his wife knows something, but now that he has lied, he can no longer use the truth as a way of saving himself

E. Blame other people. João knows he is a good man, that he has always been an honest worker and has tried to give the best of himself. He thinks his boss is acting unfairly, that he doesn’t deserve what is happening to him. The fact is that the boss might be going through exactly the same drama, because all employees are controlled by abstract entities known as ‘companies’. Even so, faced by what João considers to be an absurd situation, instead of keeping a cool head, he thinks that the world is full of cruel and evil people.

F. Overestimate your own abilities: João starts saying how talented and capable he is and ends up convincing himself that he is not facing a crisis, but rather a new opportunity. João is very talented, but that isn’t enough, because he’s not yet ready for the final blow when it comes and which takes away his breath and his enthusiasm.

Since he has done all the wrong things, when the evil day arrives, João is dismissed. From then on, the family stands on the brink of ruin, because of all that precious time wasted denying that disaster was nigh.

What to do then? Well, I have been through many crises in my life and have probably made all the mistakes described above.

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