Reading Paulo Coelho's phenomenal best-selling novel reminded me of another two wildly popular new age philosophy fables: "The Celesteine Prophecy" and "The Five People You Meet in Heaven", in that the stories themselves were almost stupefyingly simple. Yet, the underlying messages relating to our interconnectivity and the importance of pursuing our own personal destinies bear repeating.
Life is, if nothing else, a myriad of white noise, as we are inundated on all sides by all manner of stimuli. Time moves very fast, and its entirely too easy to loose track of where we are and, more importantly, of where we're headed.
In the Alchemist, a simple shepard boy sets out to find his life's true purpose and despite numerous obstacles, the gods smile on him because of his bravery. He learns the importance of looking for and listening to the signs that propel us forward in our life-quest and eventually understands the rewards inherent in the journey are almost as rich as the actual treasure at it's end.
Now, a cynical person might look down on the preachy quality of these little stories, but I'm not one of them. Life is short and at times, very difficult, and people who are willing to take risks deserve our respect and certainly can use a little boost now and then. Also, the idea of all of us having a higher, or "true" purpose somehow feels very right to me.
The fact that this short book has sold something like 60 million copies and has been translated into more than 50 languages confirms that there's a gap there, that many of us feel an ache that must be filled. Its simplicity is it's strength - the messages contained within are very clear.
Go for it - you'll be glad you did!
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