The Zahir

I read a lot of The Zahir on the trains back and forth today.

"Do you think we two could save the world?"
"I think there are more people out there who think the same way. Will you help me?"
"Yes, as long as you tell what I have to do."
"But that's precisely what I don't know!"

And I still believe it - that love can save the world. Because when two people love each other, it's something different. They both give up a little of themself, but put together the whole is still greater than the sum of the parts.

In the book Paulo Coelho talks about train tracks, which are 4 feet 8 1/2 inches apart. Why? Because that's how far apart the wheels on the trains are. But why? Because the trains were originally made with the same tools that made horse-drawn carriages.

But the real answer is "Because." In the same way that you answer a 3 year old who has asked you "Why?" 37 times. "Just because."

It's arbitrary. Someone decided at some time and it has stayed that way, without any need for a good reason.

What do train tracks have to do with love? Well you'll just have to read the book.