Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist: A Few Reflections Essay

All of us, no issue what our station in emotional state, devour dreams. These dreams whitethorn be vibrant and alive, pulsating in our entire being or they may be dead, perhaps weak d throw by the weight of the years and the affairs of daily life. For the throng who nourish great, expansive dreams in their heart, all(prenominal) day is full of core and direction. But for those who have let their dreams fade, life, no matter how pleasur sufficient it may be, is empty of real fulfillment. Only those who chase their dreams, no matter what the difficulty, depart be able serve something of themselves, living a life of their own choice.In Paulo Coelhos The Alchemist, we have the story of Santiago, a young ward who dreams of buried treasure in the Pyramids of Egypt. He chases his dream, leaving behind only that he knew. He encounters difficulty after difficulty, and to a greater extent than once semens aspect to face with his imminent death. Indeed, until the very end of the no vel, it take hold ofms as if Santiago lead perish in a distant land without having reached his goal. And yet, through circle that he could not have foreseen, he eventually obtains his treasure twain in gold and wisdom.The Religious Journey Called Life There argon gentlemany parallels between Santiagos experiences in the book and the apparitional journey that we all must compact up. His journey, confine off by a recurrent dream, speaks to us of the goals and aims that we hold dear to our hearts. And, like him, we may ignore the persistent voice of our inner self in regulate to come short-sighted objectives, being aw ar of our possibilities but afraid of leaving a familiar world behind. We all have a purpose in life that no one else jackpot fulfill but us.We are put on earth to carry out particular mission, a task that we are well-suited to, in spite of our limited self-concept and our current circumstances. And, oftentimes, the near important thing we can do is to simply call for started. Christians have no difficulty believing in a purpose set by God, and yet too many deal shrink from what seems to be the Herculean efforts that leave be required of them to see it through. When they do this, they repoint how little faith they have in the wisdom and grace of God. afterward all, would an all-knowing, all-powerful being set a task for a man that he cannot bear? In all actuality, it is man who doubts his capacity, seeking to make his life more manageable by circumscribing it, rather than making it the neat and meaningful adventure that it was meant to be. Like Santiago, we all have to be able to give up our day-to-day affairs in order to pursue a higher goal. In and by itself, the routine of daily life is not very meaningful, especially if we are aware that there is something great that must be accomplished.The first time that we step out to do something about our goals, we depart be hit by the fear of uncertainty, which impart be aided in larg e part by the opinions of people around us. If, for instance, you feel called to travel the world for a few years, you will be hit by myriad concerns. Where will the money come from? Will I have a job when I get back? What will people think of me? These concerns, relatively trivial when seeing a ones purpose in life, appear more more important to us than they should, in part because there will always be people around to convince us that what we throw to do is impractical even crazy.Even Jesus injunction to take no thought for the morrow, though well-known by all who knowledge the Christian faith, has often easily been swept aside by more pragmatic considerations. The Alchemist A Christian Book? Christian similarities notwithstanding, those who wish to see The Alchemist as a purely Christian book are qualify to be disappointed. Indeed, the book makes as much out of Islamic principles as it does Christian ones. Also, the very title itself is suggestive of the occult, for establi shed Christianity has historically viewed chemical science as little more than the work of the Devil himself.Putting these pin up considerations aside, however, anyone should be able to see that the true value of The Alchemist lies in the catholicity of its message. All religion, in it purest form, aims to transcend daily life and come into colloquy with the divine reality. In the end, connection with the divine cannot be distilled into practiced systems of good behavior, or in the practice of rituals. One must learn to bear in mind within, to get in touch with the divine spark that resides in each person. Only by persisting in this quest this journey can we gain the inner strength required to find our own several(prenominal) treasure.