April 4th, 2010 | Posted by jennifer
Santiago is a young shepherd in Spain. He is not rich, but still life is ok to him. Once upon a time, the boy had a repeated dream in which a child told him there is hidden treasure under the Egyptian pyramids, across the Mediterranean Sea. Santiago asked for interpretation of a gypsy woman who told him that this is his calling and that he should go for the dream. So the boy sold out his sheep and took the boat to Africa. He should cross the desert and finally reach pyramid to find the treasure. But as soon as he got off the boat, all his money was stolen. So he had to work for a crystal merchant to make enough money. And the funny thing about the merchant is that his life dream is to go to the holy city of Mecca one day, which is an obligation of every Muslim. “But why don’t you just go now?” asked Santiago. “I just want to keep my dream about Mecca. I am afraid that it would be a disappointment if I really go. So I prefer just to dream about it. It’s the dream to go to Mecca that keeps me alive.” Therefore, everyday, the shop owner watched people come and leave for Mecca while himself murmuring about his dream.
After making enough money, the boy said goodbye to the merchant to cross the desert. In the desert he met one local tribe. Santiago managed to help the tribe to avoid an attack from another tribe; he was then respected by the tribe as a prophet. Life seemed so much better now. He even met his true love. But the dilemma is: should he stay with his love or leave the desert for an uncertain dream? Then he met the alchemist, who depicted to him what will happen if he chose to stay in the desert and forget the dream. For the very first years, he would be so happy with his wife and everything in the desert. As time goes by, when he gets rich and old, he would then again think of his dream and start to regret, but, it would be too late.
So Santiago decided to continue the journey and to search for the hidden treasure. After all the hardships along the journey, when he finally reached the pyramids and just ready to dig for the treasure, two gangsters came. These two gangsters robbed two gold bars from the boy and tortured him for more money. Santiago cannot stand for more tortures and told the truth: “I am digging for the treasure underground.” The boy told them his recurrent dream and his journey. To his surprise, the robbers wouldn’t believe him. And one robber even said sarcastically: “Two years ago, right here on this spot, I had a recurrent dream, too. I dreamed that I should travel to the fields of Spain and look for a ruined church where shepherds and their sheep slept….But I am not so stupid as to cross an entire desert just because of a recurrent dream.” So there comes the happy ending, Santiago, the Spanish shepherd, found the treasure in his own home town and live with his true love happily ever after.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the story of “The Alchemist”, a fable about following your dream.
I read the book one year ago. When I read about the crystal merchant and his dream to go to Mecca, I almost see myself in him. My own dream, which lies in the corner there for so many years, started to haunt me. Ten years ago, I chose Biology as my major in university, because people say it is one of the easiest major to be admitted to US universities. Later unfortunately, I found myself a totally jerk with those test tubes and endless experiments in the laboratory, so I gave up my dream.
Finishing the book, I asked myself: will you regret if you don’t try? And what will you lose if you try and fail? So I decided not to be like the crystal merchant. Live my dream.
Just like Santiago, I met people who cannot understand. I have a stable job and working environment is friendly, no office politics; I have my families and friends in the city. Although I have so many complaints and dissatisfactions here and there, life treats me fairly well, I must say. And people also asked me, what about my aging parents, am I just leaving them for my own dream? Isn’t that a little selfish? And why should I leave while everyone else is just coming in flocks to dig gold in China? Life there will be so much harder for you, they say with certainties.
For all those questions, I don’t have an answer, even after one year. I just know if I don’t do it, I will regret. I will end up just like the crystal merchant, with a fairly good life, but not a lived life. Paulo Coelho, the writer, once was asked about what he wants to put on his tombstone after his death. He said he would like to put “The man died while he was alive.” Sounds self-contradictory, right? Isn’t that every man die while he is alive? But give a second thought. To die alive is to take risks. To pay your price. To do something that sometimes scares you but you should do because you may like or you may not like.
So, this is the story of “The Alchemist”, and also part of my story.
What is your story?
