The Book of Manuals
General provisions:
A - In view of the fact that the saying ‘all’s fair in love and war’ is absolutely correct;
B – and in view of the fact that whereas in the case of war we have the Geneva Convention, approved on 22 August 1864, which states how those wounded on the battlefield should be treated, there has, up until now, been no convention regarding those who have been wounded in love, even though they are far more numerous;
it is hereby decreed that:
Article 1 – All lovers, of any sex, are given due warning that love, as well as being a blessing, is also extremely dangerous, unpredictable and capable of causing serious harm. Consequently, anyone planning to love someone else should be aware that they are exposing their body and soul to various kinds of wounds and that they should not, at any point, blame their partner, since both run the same risks.
Article 2 – If struck by an arrow fired from Cupid’s bow, you should immediately ask the archer to fire the same arrow back in the opposite direction, in order to avoid being afflicted by the wound known as ‘unrequited love’. Should Cupid refuse to do this, the Convention requires the wounded party to remove the arrow from his or her heart and throw it in the bin. In order to achieve this, the injured party should avoid making phone calls, sending messages via the Internet, sending flowers that end up being returned, or engaging in any other attempts at seduction, since while these may yield results in the short term, in the long term, they always turn out badly. The Convention decrees that the wounded party should immediately seek the company of other people and do his or her best to ignore the obsessive thought: ‘This person is worth fighting for.’
Article 3 – If the wound is caused by a third party, that is, if the loved one has become interested in someone who was not included in the original agreement, vengeance is expressly forbidden. In such cases, the following actions are permitted: crying one’s eyes out; punching the walls or a pillow; heaping insults on one’s ex-partner during conversations with friends; commenting on his/her complete lack of taste, although without ever besmirching his/her honour. The Convention states that the rule contained in Article 2 should also be applied: seek out the company of other people, preferably in places not usually frequented by the other party.
Article 4 – In the case of slight wounds, herein classified as minor betrayals, sudden short-lived passions, a temporary loss of libido, then the medicine known as Forgiveness should be applied generously and quickly. Once this medicine has been applied, there can be no going back on one’s decision, ever, and the whole subject should be completely forgotten and never used as a weapon in an argument or in a moment of anger.
Article 5 – For all mortal wounds, also known as ‘breaking up’, the only effective medicine is called Time. There is no point in seeking consolation from fortune-tellers (who always tell you that your lost love will return), romantic novels (which always have a happy ending), TV soaps or other such things. One must simply suffer intensely, making no use of drugs, tranquillizers or prayers offered up to saints. Alcohol should be restricted to a maximum of two glasses of wine a day.
Final resolution: Those wounded in love, unlike those wounded in armed conflicts, are neither victims nor torturers. They chose something that is part of life, and so they must accept both the agony and the ecstasy of that choice.
And those who have never been wounded by love will never be able to say: ‘I have lived.’ Because they haven’t.
The warrior of light and his quest
1. The Warrior of Light knows the importance of intuition. In the midst of battle he has no time to think about the enemy’s blows – so he uses his instinct and obeys his angel. In times of peace he deciphers the signs that God sends him.
People say: ‘He’s crazy.’
Or else: ‘He lives in a fantasy world.’
Or even: ‘How can he put his trust in such illogical things?’
But the warrior knows that intuition is God’s alphabet, and so he continues to listen to the wind and talk to the stars.
2. For the warrior there is no such thing as an impossible love.
He is not intimidated by silence, indifference or rejection. He knows that, behind the mask of ice that people wear, there beats a heart of fire.
This is why the warrior takes more risks than other people. He is constantly seeking the love of someone, even if that means often having to hear the word ‘No’, returning home defeated and feeling rejected in body and soul.
A warrior never gives in to fear when he is searching for what he needs. Without love, he is nothing.
3. A warrior of light cannot always choose his battlefield.
Sometimes he is taken by surprise in the middle of battles not of his choosing, but there is no point in running away, those battles will merely follow him.
Then, at the point when conflict seems almost inevitable, the warrior talks to his opponent. Showing neither fear nor cowardice, he tries to find out why the other man wants to fight, what made him leave his village in order to seek him out to fight this duel. Without even unsheathing his sword, the warrior persuades his opponent that this is not a fight for him.
A warrior of light listens to what hi
s opponent has to say. He only fights if absolutely necessary.
But if he has no alternative, he doesn’t think about victory or defeat: he fights to the end.
4. The warrior of light never forgets the old saying: the good little goat doesn’t bleat.
Injustices happen. Everyone finds themselves in situations they do not deserve, usually when they are unable to defend themselves. Defeat often knocks at the warrior’s door.
At such times, he remains silent. He does not waste energy on words, because they can do nothing; it is best to use his strength to resist and have patience, knowing that Someone is watching, Someone who saw the unnecessary suffering and who will not accept it.