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by BIBLIOboy, 22 November 2006
*Who are we? *What are we put here on this earth for? *What do we want to do with our lives while we’re here? At some point in our lives as young people, we inevitably start asking these major questions. Philosophy and religion provide some answers but what if we’re neither philosophically or religiously inclined? Many of us will turn to one of the reams of self-help books out there in any decent bookstore.
A number of years ago, I was introduced to the international bestseller by Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho, “The Alchemist“. I was at a crossroads in life and this book was recommended as a possible guide. I devoured it in one sitting back then (it’s a slim book, and easy to read), and found it so enlightening and useful that it has become one of those books that I return to periodically, often during periods of soulsearching, or when in need of some inspiration. Told with graceful prose (even in translation) in the manner of a fable, THE ALCHEMIST is basically a simple story of a young Spanish shepherd who embarks on a journey to Egypt to find a mysterious treasure he has dreamt about.
Through his trials, experiences and insights, as well as lessons he learns from various guides along the way, he learns about the meaning of life and finds his place in the world. Deceptively simple, yet not simplistic, for me it is essentially an extended metaphor for the journey of life and of the necessity to follow one’s dreams and listen to one’s heart in terms of finding our own unique set of answers to the questions of human existence. Most pertinently, the book raises some fundamental issues - how the cares and pressures and fears of adulthood seem often to destroy the innocence and hope and potentials of childhood dreams, which are often clues to as what we want essentially out of life. And also, inspiringly, that its never too late to recall one’s dreams and to attempt to realise them.
Whether one agrees or not with Coelho’s mystical semi-philosophical, semi-religious approach, he seems indeed to have reached beyond such abstractions to touch something fundamental and deep within the human mind and heart.
Ultimately, as American self-help writer M. Scott Peck mentions in a review, the book is “about the pilgrimage that life should be” and it is no surprise that it has been compared to Saint-Exupery's "The Little Prince" in popularity and inspiration to millions. If you’re wondering what you want to do with your life amidst the increasingly confusion of the plethora of choices available to a person today, “The Alchemist” is a wonderful guide and mirror to your own hopes and dreams. It’s never too early or too late to start to realise one’s dreams.
Signing off,
Biblioboy
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