"You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his destiny. If he abandons that pursuit, it's because it wasn't true love..."
Equipped with a mug of my favorite green tea, I stretched out on my sofa and lost myself in the journey that is 'The Alchemist'. I finished this adventure in less than 24 hours...I promise you, it was that good!
The main character, whose name we never learn, is a young shepherd from Spain who possesses a burning desire to see and do things no other shepherd had ever done. Simply by having the faith and courage to travel to foreign lands the young shepherd is able to learn invaluable lessons about sacrifice and the freedom that accompanies true love.
The author, Paulo Coelho, knows all about sacrifice. The son of an engineer, Coelho constantly battled the expectation that he would be a straight-laced carbon copy of his father in the professional world. While his parents expected him to be a doctor or a lawyer, Coelho knew his destiny was to become a writer. Coelho holds no ill-will towards his parents despite their having him committed to a mental home because of his rebellious ways. In 'The Alchemist' Coelho imparts wisdom about true love, fear, and the urgency of following one's dreams. Below are a couple takeaways from 'The Alchemist' I plan to use in my personal adventure.
1) Love Without Ownership
"He tried to deal with the concept of love as distinct from possession, and couldn't separate them"
One of the dopest parts of this book was the love displayed for the main character by his love interest, the beautiful Fatima. In layman's terms, Fatima is "Ride or Die" personified! In spite of her desire to be married to the main character Fatima explains to him that marriage cannot precede him following his dream. This quote from Fatima sums it all up: "If I am really apart of your dream, you'll come back one day....I want my husband to wander as as the wind...". Fatima's selflessness is amazing to me. She wanted to be with the main character and knew that all she had to do was tell him to stay and he would have with no questions asked! However, she knew the importance of fulfilling a dream. She displayed a truly unselfish love.
2) Fear
My takeaway? Fear has no place in the hearts of those who truly wish to fulfill their dreams. The fear of losing Fatima would have caused the main character to stay in her city completely putting off his desire to see the pyramids..content upon being her husband. However, as the alchemist later points out, this could drive a wedge in their relationship, with an unfulfilled husband on one hand and Fatima secretly blaming herself for her husband deciding not to pursue his dreams on the other. Always follow your heart! Only a self-serving love would require you put your dream on hold for them.
Coelho believes our dreams die young because we realize them at an early age, life gets in the way, and the next thing you know you're settled and nowhere near where you wished to be. The lesson here is to start pursuing your dream today! It's never too late to begin. The Alchemist is the perfect book for the transition into the Fall and I HIGHLY recommend it! Happy reading...
You can follow myself and Paulo Coelho on Twitter at @Chief_Platt and @paulocoelho respectively
Yours Truly,
The Lonely Blogger
Peace
