The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho

Two weeks ago I read this book, "The Alchemist" by Paolo Coelho. Most of my friends who still have a reading habit seem to have read it; most thought it a good book so I was curious.

The story-line is simple enough yet, since so many were raving about the book I was trying to read between the lines; as if not wanting to miss out on any "profound message" that may be embedded. After all, an author who has sold more than 65 million books must have something! I would classify "The Alchemist" under the genre of "motivational books" but personally, I did not find anything that I had not found in numerous other publications of the same genre.

There was however something in Part One of the book that I thought rather nicely puts "negativity" in a different light. The following are excerpts from The Alchemist:

"........the most important is that you have succeeded in discovering your Personal Legend."

"......(Personal Legend) it is what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is.

At that point (when they are young) in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their Personal Legend."

"...... It's (the mysterious force) a force that appears to be negative, but actually shows you how to realize your Personal Legend. It prepares your spirit and your will, because there is one great truth on this planet: whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it's because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It's your mission on earth."

".....And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

The above puts in a positive perspective all the trials and tribulations faced when one is trying to achieve one's desired goals. It is as if Murphy's Law is to enable rather than to disable; becoming part of the price that is intrinsic to the value of achieving ones so-called Personal Legend.