"Everyone on earth has a treasure that awaits him," his heart said. "We, people's hearts, seldom say much about those treasures, because people no longer want to go in search of them. We speak of them only to children. Later, we simply let life proceed, in its own direction, toward its own fate...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, Paulo Coelho
So, I read The Alchemist. Makes sense why: Check the synopsis - Santiago, a shepherd from Andalucia, dreams he finds treasure at the Egyptian Pyramids. He feels so strongly that this dream is an omen, that there really is treasure waiting for him in Egypt, that he sells his sheep and leaves behind the life he knows, his comfort zone, to embark on a journey to a land with a strange language to follow his heart and search for his treasure. Along the way, he meets many people that help him continue to listen to his heart, most importantly, an Alchemist. It has a feel-good ending that I won't spoil for you.
Hmm...this story sounds vaguely familiar. Haha "Following my heart" may be too strong a phrase to attach to my adventure abroad, but I do know that every time I doubted my decision to move abroad, my heart said "in 20 years, will you regret not taking this opportunity?" Which clearly can be answered with a solid YES. So, thanks, Heart. I had a dream to see a new place, so I dropped my stable life in Indiana to check out a new culture with a strange language.
I told my host mom over dinner yesterday that I read the book, and she just laughed. "Ugh...it's so boring!" she said. And, honestly, I agree. There is minimal character development. You do not become attached to Santiago and cheer him on as you would, say, my homeboy, Harry Potter. BUT, the lesson you can glean from Paulo Coelho's novel is the important part. To seek your personal destiny and not waver from that path.
In the forward, Coelho says - "Whenever we do something that fills us with enthusiasm, we are following our legend. However, we don't all have the courage to confront our own dream."
Thanks, Paulo. Your book basically told me to grow a pair and just go for it. So...here goes!
Living in Spain is not my ultimate life dream, but it sure is a wicked stone on my path to...something. I'll take it!
- The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
So, I read The Alchemist. Makes sense why: Check the synopsis - Santiago, a shepherd from Andalucia, dreams he finds treasure at the Egyptian Pyramids. He feels so strongly that this dream is an omen, that there really is treasure waiting for him in Egypt, that he sells his sheep and leaves behind the life he knows, his comfort zone, to embark on a journey to a land with a strange language to follow his heart and search for his treasure. Along the way, he meets many people that help him continue to listen to his heart, most importantly, an Alchemist. It has a feel-good ending that I won't spoil for you.
Hmm...this story sounds vaguely familiar. Haha "Following my heart" may be too strong a phrase to attach to my adventure abroad, but I do know that every time I doubted my decision to move abroad, my heart said "in 20 years, will you regret not taking this opportunity?" Which clearly can be answered with a solid YES. So, thanks, Heart. I had a dream to see a new place, so I dropped my stable life in Indiana to check out a new culture with a strange language.
I told my host mom over dinner yesterday that I read the book, and she just laughed. "Ugh...it's so boring!" she said. And, honestly, I agree. There is minimal character development. You do not become attached to Santiago and cheer him on as you would, say, my homeboy, Harry Potter. BUT, the lesson you can glean from Paulo Coelho's novel is the important part. To seek your personal destiny and not waver from that path.
In the forward, Coelho says - "Whenever we do something that fills us with enthusiasm, we are following our legend. However, we don't all have the courage to confront our own dream."
Thanks, Paulo. Your book basically told me to grow a pair and just go for it. So...here goes!
Living in Spain is not my ultimate life dream, but it sure is a wicked stone on my path to...something. I'll take it!
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