Log #2

Book: THE ALCHEMIST

Author: Paulo Coelho

Page: finished

       The Alchemist was recommended by my senior because it was her favorite book. Curious about if it’s that good, I read the introduction of the book, and thus I was fascinated. In the short introduction are four obstacles that prevent us from pursing dreams. They are value which we own since childhood, love which we put toward others around, fears of defeats that we may meet on the path, and fears of realizing our dreams. Also, in the prologue, it used a story about Narcissus to capture readers attention, me included.

        This book talked about a shepherd boy named Santiago who pursued his Personal Legend. At first, when Santiago talked about his traveling with his father, who wanted his child to be a priest, his father kind of disagreed. However, the next morning, his father gave him some money, expressing his little willingness for the shepherd’s dream. Still, he let Santiago do what he would like to try and give him a chance to see world. It’s just like parents let go of children when they grow up! Although it was just a short description in this book, it made me think of the time when my parents sent me to Taipei and entered the college.

In the process of pursuing his Legend, Santiago dreamed twice about having treasure. Then, he met a woman and an old man who also proved that. Thus, he followed his mind and went a long way to his destination, Egypt. He met a burglar who stole all his money, got a job which was to sell crystal, and then made enough money with which he could go back hometown and buy lots of sheep again. Nonetheless, Santiago hesitated if he should go home or keep traveling. At that time, he encountered an English man who was on the journey to seek after his life. Then, the English man persuaded Santiago to go on and also helped him a lot. In the end, he listened to his mind, keeping on finding the way toward the Egypt Pyramid. Later on, Santiago also met the alchemist who assisted him to find the way to his Personal Legend and encouraged him to keep on. The alchemist said, “When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better.” At the very last, Santiago found his treasure which was not a large amount of money but his mind’s achievement.

Actually, when I finished reading this book, I felt a little surprised because the end was not what I had thought. Originally, I thought there would be a stack of money waiting for Santiago because it was “treasure.” However, I was totally wrong and too superficial. It is a book that focuses on the process of perseverantly pursuing dreams instead of the consequence. Santiago came across many friends who all aided him physically and mentally.

Here are some influential sentences I would like to share. “When each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their daily lives.” “Life is the moment we’re living right now.” When you get bored with or furious about your life, why don’t you look what’s happening on that day? Something interesting can make you happy and eliminate those bad ideas. Also, don’t look back. Just mind what you’re doing and what you’re going to do. Past is past, and it’s a waste of time to regret what you had done!