Let me start by saying that The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho was astounding and filled with lessons to learn. As the novel progresses, I was increasingly reminded of Candide by Voltaire. Both novels attempt to teach their respective life lessons blatantly, as Candide attempts it through blatant satire, while The Alchemist tends to communicate its lessons through concise quotes. The similarities can also be extrapolated to the characters of both novels, as each character acts within a very minute subplot that spans the length of a page or so, as well as add to the main character's journey. The length of each novel is also pretty similar, as both are quick reads meant to teach with clarity and succinctness. In a way, the Alchemist can be viewed as a self-help book, as every few pages provide a nugget of wisdom for the reader. However, with each piece advice comes a subtle hint of the difficulty of achieving such wisdom.
One of the main lessons of the Alchemist is that one's destiny (or “personal legend” depending on the version) is understood in the early stages of life. From this it is up to oneself to fulfill their own destiny. This concept is demonstrated through the journey of the main character Santiago, who attempts to fulfill his destiny of travelling the world and uncovering a treasure buried near the Egyptian pyramids. Along his journey, he is bombarded by both mortal and near mystical beings who act to teach him “the universal language of the world” through the practice of alchemy. It is through this universal language that he is taught that life will both help him and prevent him from achieving his destiny through beginner’s luck (positive omens that lead you to identify your destiny) and failure (a test of your faith in destiny).
It is from this concept of following one’s destiny that Coelho believes develops wisdom. Thus to lead a happy life, one must identify their predetermined destiny and chase it with all possible vigor. This I believe is a portion of the puzzle, however, I think there is something to be said about adaptability in the context of wisdom. To chase one’s destiny requires all heart and concentration possible, however, in order to fulfill one’s potential necessitates adaptability. Coelho’s novel assumes that each and every person understands their life goals early on enough in life to give them a goal to pursue, although many obstacles may appear. Santiago had immediately understood that he wanted to travel the world and was backed by his father with very little fuss. Unfortunately, this may not always be the case in the real world, even with the concept of beginner’s luck. I have experienced the immense difficulty of identifying my own passion and subsequent destiny, as have many others in this world. In theory, I should have identified, or at least been hinted at, what my destiny was at a young age. However, this has yet to occur, as nothing has ever popped out as me as being my calling. This is a frequent frustration in many people’s lives, able to stagnate entire lives from progressing towards both destiny and happiness.
However, Coelho counters this statement through his idea that “more practical” options, such as choosing a more respected job/role in your community and/or biding time until establishing the financial means to chase one's passion, cloud one’s true destiny. It is through this idea that destiny does not translate to guaranteed fate, but rather the guarantee that everyone is meant to do something in their lives but fulfillment of destiny belongs to those that have the faith to chase it. Therefore, each person’s destiny may not be explicit in their youth, yet with enough effort and faith it can always be uncovered.
With these lessons learned, I encourage everyone to use these uncertain times as a period of exploration and self reflection. I found it best to ask myself the following question: What truly is your passion and what in life is genuinely stopping you from chasing your dreams? This encouraged me not only to start this blog that I have procrastinated on for months if not years, but also open up my mind to different areas of study and different perspectives of life. From this experience, I find it impossible not to recommend this novel to any and all readers. This book is for anyone in any age group, any occupation, any state of mind, and any level of interest in reading. I found it nearly impossible to put down, and my only qualm is that it is far too short. Nonetheless, even in its extremely short format, it is surely a masterpiece worth reading over and over again, especially when you are in the need of a little bit of inspiration to keep you set on chasing your dreams.
Feel free to contact me with thoughts and comments on the novel.
Thanks for reading,
Hamza Malik