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The Magic of Alchemist

Apr 28 2008 | Views 540 | Comments (0) Leave a Comment

Like millions others on this planet I too desperately wanted to have a taste of Paulo Coelho’s most marvelous creation – The Alchemist. And to prove this point let me tell you that I have read this novel thrice. And every time I read it, I read it without taking a single break.

Although the writer calls it a story of following one’s dreams, I believe it’s a lesson that teaches us to believe in ourselves. The reason is that dreams might be un-realistic, but self belief can make you achieve those un-realistic goals.

The story is a about a shepherd boy, who in his dream realizes that a treasure is hidden in the great Sahara desert. He decides to go forward and get that treasure. During his journey he meets people from very different background. He meets his true love. He witness battles and even risks his own life. He even meets a true alchemist and learns the art of turning lead into Gold. It is during this journey the writer teaches us some of the most important lessons of our lives.

The first message that the writer conveys is to follow one’s dreams. Every one of us has certain dreams which we want to fulfill but believe we neither have the resources or the opportunity to do the same. However we must not forget that every drop in an ocean contributes to it. The ocean was formed only when billions of these water droplets merged together. Every step that we take leads us to the next. When we decide to turn our dreams into reality all we need to do is to take the first step in that direction. The next step will automatically follow. Most of us never try to build up courage to follow our desires and hence fail.

The second message is to believe in our selves and the nature around us. Let us not forget that all the qualities that we have were gifted to us by nature. None of us were born (ordered from a hospital) with a customized DNA. Nature is fair to only those who are fair in return. Nature compensates us for every loss. A blind man is gifted with enhanced other senses. We need to understand the language of Nature, the way it communicates. This is nothing but the language of the universe and ultimately the language of the God. Through this language we can listen to God’s message and thus we will never fail.

The third message is that every action counts and just like Newton said it, it has an equal and opposite reaction. Some of us lie, some tend to neglect and some ignore. Similarly our actions are responded by nature. Upon failure we may argue that luck wasn’t on our side, but the fact is luck is nothing but nature’s reaction our own actions. What we call as an omen is nature’s message in return of our efforts.

The novel is an amazing masterpiece meant for readers of all ages. It is one of the simplest forms of learning the very basics of living a healthy and fulfilling life.

Reader’s Verdict: Buy and Read. A true gem, after all even SRK feels that ‘if one really wants to fulfill his/her dreams, the whole universe will conspire to help make it happen.’