The Alchemist Book Review by Paulo Coelho
It started with a question from a chat, what am I doing with my life? Which I said, I’m in the journey of finding my purpose, then a friend asked whether have I read The Alchemist? and I answered no. Well it was not the first time hearing about this book "The Alchemist" and about the author Paulo Coelho, when I go to the book store I hardly go to fiction books side as I read mostly non-fiction, though this best-seller has been on my to read for years and never read it, there’s a saying that says: "When a student is ready the teacher appears", I doubt I would have appreciated this book if I had read it years earlier because I wouldn’t have been able to comprehend the lessons packed in this book.
I’ve read lots of books, articles and videos on the topic of
purpose, this book is on the top of my list, it surpass even The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, It is a well written and powerful
storytelling book, with every sentence as a punch line. It is very hard to summarise
this book because every sentence is worth reading.
It’s a fable of a boy whom his parents wanted him to be a
priest and thereby become a source of pride for a simple farm family, he had studied Latin,
Spanish and theology but ever since he was a kid he wanted to know the world and this was much more important
to him than knowing God and learning about a man’s sin, One afternoon on a visit
to his family, he had summoned up the courage to tell his father that he didn’t
want to become a priest, that he wanted to travel, his purpose in life was to
travel.
The next day his father gave him a pouch that held three ancient
Spanish gold coins, he had wanted them to be part of his inheritance but gave him
to buy the flock, he gave the boy his blessings. The boy could see in his
father’s gaze the desire to be able to travel the world himself, a desire that
was still alive, despite his father’s having had to bury it, over dozens of
years under the burden of struggling for water to drink, food to eat and the
same place to sleep every night of this life.
The boy became a shepherd and travelled and he was happy to
be able to live out his dream every day.
The boy was busy travelling to go and look for a daughter of
a merchant he was interested in, on his way he remembered that there was an old
woman in that area who interpret dreams as he has been having a recurring
dream, the old lady interpreted the dream and said
"And this is my interpretation: you must go to the Pyramids in
Egypt. I have never heard of them, but, if it was a child who showed them to
you, they exist. There you will find a treasure that will make you a rich
man."
Then the boy started his journey of going to the Pyramids in
Egypt, we all have our Egypt that we have to go to.
Summarising this book won’t do justice but here are some lessons that’s actually spoke to me.
This book stirred so many emotions as it resembled all the
staged I’ve gone through and still going through in the pursuit of my higher calling,
the speaking of my soul, my purpose, what I was born to do. I will be unpacking lessons I've learned.
Lesson1
"Well, how am I going to get to Egypt?" the boy asked
"I only interpret dreams. I don't know how to turn them into
reality.” That's why I have to live off what my daughters provide me with." said the woman
"And what if I never get to Egypt?"
"Then I don't get paid. It wouldn't be the first time."
And the woman told the boy to leave, saying she had already wasted too
much time with him.
How?
There are times when we wish that someone can just give us the scope and answer of the how we can arrive to the Pyramids of Egypt of our own longing.
Look out for lessons I'll be posting daily from the book.
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