The Alchemist

"But, unfortunately, very few follow the path laid out for them - the path to their Personal Legends, and to happiness. Most people see the world as a threatening place, and, because they do, the world turns out, indeed, to be a threatening place." -The Alchemist

I woke up today to a beautiful, refreshing morning and thoughts of my "Personal Legend" came into my my head. Then I realized that I had not reviewed The Alchemist like I had said I would.

When I first picked this book, I had done so based on a review I had read about it. I knew it was full of mysticism and metaphorical language. It was definitely that, and much more. The story, as it goes along, is a metaphor for life. What is the purpose of Life? Who is God? Why are we here? What is the truth of my existence? You know, those simple questions that have easy answers. The story does not give an "answer" to those questions, but develops the questions in your mind so you are compelled to seek the answers for yourself.

I got about halfway through the book and realized that there were so many good thoughts and sentiments, I felt I should mark the pages that I thought offered some real insight. I did so by turning the corner of the upper edge of the page. Now the book has doubled in thickness because just about every page has a bent over corner.

The story is about a young shepherd boy in Andalusia (Spain). He meets a King one day who tells the boy he must seek out and find his treasure in the land of the pyramids. The young boy has never even heard of the pyramids, but in the desire to find his treasure and his Personal Legend, he is compelled to leave the life of a shepherd behind and seek out his destiny. The story takes him on many adventures, and through each event he adds to his knowledge, adds to the Soul of the World, meets the love of his life, meets an Alchemist, and finally finds his treasure. I don't want to say too much just in case someone might feel compelled to read this book. It is a simple read, but it is within the simple words, that you come away with so much more on a personal level. It is as if each sentence has another sentence that can't be seen with the eyes. "Read between the lines" would be appropriate.

Okay....I will add a bit here from the book (if I can manage to narrow it down without completely writing the whole book).....

This particular part of the book is when Santiago (the boy) is in the Oasis of the desert and has come across a beautiful woman at a watering well:
" At that moment, it seemed to him that time stood still, and the Soul of the World surged within him. When he looked into her dark eyes, and saw that her lips were poised between a laugh and silence, he learned the most important part of the language that all the world spoke - the language that everyone on earth was capable of understanding in their heart. It was love. Something older than humanity, more ancient than the desert. Something that exerted the same force whenever two pairs of eyes met, as had theirs here at the well.....
.....It was the pure Language of the World. It required no explanation, just as the universe needs none as it travels through endless time. What the boy felt at that moment was that he was in the presence of the only woman in his life, and that, with no need for words, she recognized the same thing. He was more certain of it than anything in the world. He had been told by his parents and grandparents that he must fall in love and really know a person before becoming committed. But maybe people who felt that way had never learned the universal language. Because, when you know that language, it's easy to understand that someone in the world awaits you, whether it's in the middle of the desert or in some great city. And when two such people encounter each other, and their eyes meet, the past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written by one hand only. It is the hand that evokes love, and creates a twin soul for every person in the world. Without such love, one's dreams would have no meaning."

That was a bit more than I expected to write, but it is a thought that one cannot interrupt in the middle and find it to be an acceptable end. This part of the book really moved me, putting a spark inside of me. I reflect on it often. This also gives you a good idea of how Coelho writes. I guess I could be safe in saying that Coelho, at least in The Alchemist, writes from his soul and not from his head.

In the back of the book, there is a list of questions for reflection. I guess unless you have read the book, the question and the answer would make no sense, but I thought I would pick one anyway:

When he talked about the pilgrimage to Mecca, the crystal merchant argued that having a dream is more important than fulfilling it, which is what Santiago was trying to do. Do you agree with Santiago's rationale or the crystal merchants?
In this conversation, the crystal merchant is talking to the boy about living a good Muslim life. The Prophet gave them 5 obligations to do in one's life to live a good life; believe in the only one true God, pray five times a day, fast during Ramadan, be charitable to the poor, and to make the pilgrimage to Mecca. The merchant talks about how as a boy all he wanted was to save up enough money so he could make this pilgrimage. As the man became older, he became wealthier, but could never bring himself the leave the store which brought him that wealth. Santiago asks him why doesn't he go now that he has the wealth to leave. The merchant replies that it is the dream of going to Mecca that keeps him going. He fears that if he goes, than there will be no reason to get up every morning. It is the dream that keeps him living his mundane and uninspired life. The boy, on the other hand, feels that he must live his dream, he must find his treasure.
For me, I have to agree with Santiago. I understand the merchants reasoning, however, I believe dreams are the guide to finding our purpose, our Personal Legend. And as we find out in the book, it isn't the "finish line" of the dream, but rather the path to getting there that is important. Living your life waiting on a dream doesn't seem like much of a life to me. Maybe going to Mecca, or even just trying to get to Mecca, more doors might have been opened; doors that he never knew existed. He might have chosen to sell his business and set out to a new world with new dreams and adventures. Or maybe kept the business, but having lived the dream, he would be able to see things with a different perspective, making him a different kind of businessman.
By not living his dream, he has limited himself and settled for the life that he actually has contempt for. The life, the store, the day to day becomes a shackle, holding him back from realizing the life intended for him. Ultimately, I believe it is his fear that holds him back, he cannot see beyond the dream, and fears what would become of his life after living out his dream. For now, he is content, and it is this contentedness that keeps him still. I think it is that fear that everyone can relate to in some form or another. And it is most likely a fear that we regret while on our death bed. That is why I hope to be more Santiago than crystal merchant.