The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Paulo Coelho__If life were a game of hide and seek, our heads would be hiding while our emotions would be searching. There is no practical or thoughtful strategy for achieving our aspirations since the fact is that all we have to do is listen to our hearts and intuitions. The Alchemist, a novel written with magic by Paulo Coelho, does an excellent job of portraying the intuition of always following your heart with the repetition of a specific adage, “when you desire something, all the universe conspires to help you get it.”
To me, the story is as much about Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd lad travelling from Spain to the Sahara desert in pursuit of the gold hidden beneath the beautiful Pyramids, as it is about Santiago. He meets a Gypsy lady, the King of Salem, the crystal dealer, Fatima, and the alchemist, all of whom help him locate the riches hidden within. I picked this narrative because Santiago’s journey holds a universal lesson for us all: the capacity to listen to our hearts is (the value) in life.
When you let your heart to speak, its words include the language of the soul, which I think is the only way to communicate with the world’s soul. Your heart reaches out to the spirit of the universe, and the cosmos replies almost quickly, as if it had been waiting for you to call. The world’s solutions are limitless since they may take numerous shapes and forms, but it all starts with your heart. In this meditation, I will provide significant lessons from the novel in the form of lines stitched into the novel’s tapestry that I believe constitute the essence of its major theme, following your heart.
‘The Alchemist,’ to me, is the key to comprehending life. “Every hunt begins with beginner’s luck and concludes with the conquerors being brutally tested,” writes Santiago. Coelho (1988), p. 134. This is the repeating theme of us desiring something and the universe aligning everything for you to get it.”
It states that when we initially discover our desire, everything falls into place and works well for us; nevertheless, as we progress along our path, we confront hurdles that can be manifested by both internal and external factors. This is a vital step that everyone must take because a journey is all about learning, much like classroom learning, which is also a journey.
‘The Alchemist,’ to me, is the key to comprehending life. “Every hunt begins with beginner’s luck and concludes with the conquerors being brutally tested,” writes Santiago.
This is the repeating theme of us desiring something and the universe aligning everything for you to get it.” It states that when we initially discover our desire, everything falls into place and works well for us; nevertheless, as we progress along our path, we confront hurdles that can be manifested by both internal and external factors. This is a vital step that everyone must take because a journey is all about learning, much like classroom learning, which is also a journey.
We learn valuable lessons from the experiences that these journeys bring us, and the only way to put our knowledge to the test is to face obstacles; where we must put fear aside and let courage guide us, such as exams or projects; they are difficult, but we have the ability to overcome them with our knowledge. According to Coelho, the Soul of the World initially works with you, but finally works against you, only to make you a better person, to change silver into gold. The book teaches readers about the chemistry of chasing our “own mythology” or dream in this way.
Something that struck a chord with me as a life lesson was when “the youngster and his heart had become friends, and neither was capable of betraying the other.”
You must befriend your heart by listening to it so that you may understand why it is acting a certain way or instructing you to do something. You feel satisfied and complete after doing this practise since you followed your heart’s voice. Because it continuously reminds you of what you genuinely desire, the heart always speaks the truth; not accepting the truth is like living a life of deception, a life of regret. in addition to it.
It will constantly inform you about everything that surrounds you if you do not listen to your heart. Avoiding it will merely make the load heavier, and the washer will eventually burst. So, once you search your heart, you will have discovered the purpose of your existence since your heart is a safe that keeps all of your treasured things (memories, sentiments, dreams) that comprise what you seek and value in life.
In the narrative, a realistic predicament, Santiago reached a point where he questioned himself and feared the far-fetched end of his voyage. His heart is deceptive because it encourages him to continue the adventure while yet telling him to return to security and familiarity.
The alchemist instructs Santiago to continue listening to it regardless of what it says; otherwise, his heart will not speak but whisper its words in the hope that they will not be heard; this will prevent us from suffering; however, if our heart is reminded in any way of the dreams it wishes to fulfil, it will suffer unimaginably; therefore, it is best to befriend it and listen to it. Coelho discusses the value of one’s heart via the alchemist, saying that it will always be there for you and that you should never breach its trust because it will never break yours; it will always be true.
We all want our dreams to come true, but “there is only one thing that makes a desire difficult to achieve: the fear of failure,” according to ‘The Alchemist.’
This appealed to me because it tells us that the only thing that prevents us from realising our dreams is our fear of not being able to live up to their standards and hence failing. Fear of failure is an assumption, and it is human nature to make assumptions about everything. I know I am certainly guilty of this! I wanted to be a doctor, but my fear of failing mathematics put an end to that goal.
An assumption ultimately becomes a belief, and you can never genuinely believe something until you have first experienced it.Thus, before abandoning your aspirations, attempt to experience them instead of dreading a loss that does not exist and is impeding your pursuit of them.
“When you desire something, the entire universe conspires to help you get it.”This is an important theme in the story, summing the author’s aim throughout, much like the emerald tablet in alchemical works. When you want to do anything, all you have to do is realise or strive to realise it.
the rest is up to the world. Because your soul is a portion of the world’s soul, your soul and the world’s soul are inextricably linked. In the narrative, it is the King of Salem who says such things, and he goes on to say that “the Soul of the World is nourished by people’s delight, envy, and jealousy.”
Realizing personal legends benefits not only you, but the entire world, because if everyone realises their dreams and aspirations, the spirit of happiness and wholesomeness will cover the world, making it a much happier place than the calamitous spirit that appears as a result of regret and jealousy.
“When you want something with all your heart, that’s when you are closest to the Soul of the World. It’s always a good thing.”
The world sees one’s heart and the world as identical since they both seek the same thing: pleasure. Because they both desire your success, your heart and the world speak the same language. The world watches how much you want something, desiring anything demands passion, passion requires energy; energy is a force in this situation, good since it entails accomplishing your desire.
Because you are happy and optimistic about your passion, you are more connected to the world and this contributes to your success. This reminds me of the Dalai Lama, a pure person with a strong desire to bring about world peace. His link to the cosmos is a powerful and good force.
“What makes life fascinating is the chance of having a dream come true.”
‘The Alchemist’ emphasises to readers that the excitement, the “what ifs” in their life’s path are what make it intriguing. We, like the sheep in the tale, are used to living our repetitive lives, preferring comfort and safety. We are too engrossed in our everyday routine to be willing to test the waters and move boundaries. As Santiago drives to Tarifa, he considers how we are like his flock of sheep, just following what is in front of us and unable to think outside the box.
It is then that the youngster learns that having a dream implies having something to live for; they give our life a purpose, a meaning that we all seek because we do not know what it actually is until we discover it. This is when he begins to doubt his way of life and investigates the meaning of dreams. Furthermore, this notion of his serves as the foundation for the book and demonstrates to the reader the importance of dreams in our life.
“When we try to be better than we are, everything around us improves.”
The work suggests to the reader a concept akin to Rhonda Byrne’s “Law of Attraction” in The Secret. The law of attraction is a theory that holds that having good and better ideas results in positive and better events in one’s life.
Positive ideas may determine aspirations, desires, and everything else! When we strive to better ourselves, our determination and optimism spread across our surrounds, drawing and motivating others to do the same.
“Remember that your treasure will be found wherever your heart is.”
“Your treasure” is a metaphor for what you most desire as a person. Listen to your heart to know what you desire most; this is why Coelho says that in order to know where your treasure is, you must first see where your heart is. Your treasure might be anything, such as the person you love the most or family; it does not have to be real treasure; in fact, many times the treasure sought is figurative.
This pertains to the idea that we as humans are frequently so tied to material goods and comfort that we fail to satisfy our heart’s wants and embrace difficulties. The alchemist speaks such words to remind the boy of his purpose in life and to keep him from becoming distracted by other pursuits,
such as the pursuit of love; if Fatima and Santiago are meant to be, the universe will make a way for them to be together eventually, much like anything else in life; if other desires unrelated to our purpose in life are important, the universe will bring them to us, but at the right time in our lives. “There can only be one way to learn…
It is done by action. Everything you need to know must be learned on the road. You simply need to learn one more thing.” Coelho (2014), p. 127. This is particularly relevant in any learning situation, be it the classroom or the business, and explains a fundamental life lesson that you will never know or understand unless you attempt. People can try to explain ideas, values, philosophies, and so on, but you can never grasp them since they are based on their own personal interpretations and understandings of them.
The key to learning is application, and in order to learn, you must go out and gather experience. Experiential learning in our classrooms, for example, integrating co-op placements to equip students with skills that they would only be able to comprehend by being immersed in companies centred on their preferred job, is a perfect example.”The key of pleasure is to view all the wonders of the world, and never forget the drop of oil on the spoon,” says ‘The Alchemist.”
This encourages us to be modest in our daily lives. While we may appreciate the chance to live our aspirations, as well as the wealth and prosperity that our world has to offer, we must never allow our selflessness to turn into selfishness. We should pursue our dreams while also remembering the difficulties we experience along the way, where we came from, and the individuals who have assisted us in achieving them. My parents, for example, have moulded the person I am now and will continue to influence me in the future since they are my support and fountain of wisdom.
I will never forsake them for selfish reasons. We encountered difficulties as immigrants in a new nation assimilating, but even if we have been acclimated to its ways, I have not forgotten where I come from and will never forget. Just as my parents and my experiences have become a part of me, so will my yet to be found dream.
Love has no pragmatism or logic. You can’t possible explain to someone why you adore them? You may go on and on about what makes you love somebody, but if you argue or separate, does it stop you from loving them? For me, this is my family, especially my little sister; she may be a handful and doesn’t always appreciate the things I do for her, but I adore her. I want to be with her every second of the day, so having her come home from school a few minutes later than usual scares me.
Similarly, even though my parents are divorced, they still love and support one other as friends; love is not necessarily romantic and is limitless. “You’ll be a happy man if you can constantly focus on the now.”
“It is said that all people who are happy have God within them.” -Paulo Coelho
I believe in God and am not dismissing the possibility of the universe having some type of higher power looking after all of us; but, suggesting that those who have God in their lives are happy and implying that those who do not aren’t is incredibly subjective. Having God in a person’s life is a way of life; the entire purpose for our destiny is to define our way of life, and they are all unique; some have God in their lives, while others do not; this does not mean that people who do not have God in their lives are incapable of finding pleasure.
My father is a wonderful example of this; he was born into a highly religious household, but as he grew older and gained a sense of self, he discovered he couldn’t connect with God. He is now an agnostic, believing that if he cannot see anything, he will not believe in it. He is a realistic man who appreciates rationality, but this does not make him right or any less happy. On the contrary, he is quite happy with a family that adores him, he is a very loving and supportive father, and he respects my views sufficiently not to interfere with my dedication to God.
“At a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That’s the world’s greatest lie.” -Paulo Coelho
This comment seemed to contradict what the remainder of the text had to say about fate and the concept of “Maktub” (It is written). Throughout the story, it is repeatedly said that whatever you do in life is written, it is the work of fate, and the entire world conspires to make it come true because it is meant to be. This phrase explains that we may influence fate and that fate is a hoax, although Coelho continues to concentrate on the vital part it plays in discovering our destiny throughout the novel with the notion of “Maktub”.
It claims that fate cannot be changed, and I really think that when something is meant to be, it is meant to be, whether we like it or not; we all perceive the dark in various ways, but daylight has to break sooner or later, right? Consider the Syrian citizens who are subjected to the terrors of war at all hours of the day and night. How can they lose control when they never had control over fate to begin with?
You must always know what it is that you want.” -Paulo Coelho
It is not true that we must always know what we want; being puzzled and prepared to be disturbed is part of finding oneself. If you always know what you want from life, then life has no meaning since its mission is to provide you with experiences that help you define what you want to gain from them.
Knowing what you want narrows your mentality and stifles creative creation, because a large part of being creative stems from the art of discovery. For example, in grade 12, I studied Writer’s Craft, and we were given tasks that were quite broad with no directions. I was moaning and worrying at first since I didn’t know what my teacher was expecting.However, while I worked on the tasks, I was able to be creative and experiment with different ways to express myself.
I would not have been able to accomplish this if I had been given particular criteria; this is what understanding what you want does to your capacity to start on travels. In the end, it is not knowing what you want that allows you to recognise what you desire.Another example is my degree at UTM. Because I am unsure about what I want to do with my future profession, my programme allows me to create my own degree with specialists, majors, and minors of my choosing in order to uncover what I actually want.
–Paulo Coelho,The Alchemist
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