Tuesday, 10th July 2018
3:43PM, IKEA Cafe, with Fu Kang
Finished reading ‘The Alchemist’.
I’m aware of the polarising reception this book has – it’s either you love it or you think it is a load of crap. I am one of those who love it. Perhaps, if I had only known about it and read it 5 years from now (when I’ll generally be much more cynical than I already am) I might not like it.
Kidding aside, there is one thing that is repeatedly mentioned (and also the recurring theme) in the book that sticks out for me: Personal Legend. It is one’s destiny in life. It is identifying our purpose in life and pursuing it. And in doing so, ‘the universe conspires to help you achieve it’. Admittedly, this holds a wonderful fantasy-like appeal when we talk about going after our dreams – the idea of the UNIVERSE coming together, and stars aligning themselves just to nudge you a little closer to your objective – we all want in on that kind of success concept. Of course, it is not simply sitting around and waiting for the magic, there are other factors at play.
I find great similarities between my journey and the main character’s simply from what I have experienced in the last one year. ‘Omens’ (or signs) that have occured unexplainably that have proven to be helpful – sometimes even life-changing which I constantly compare to while reading. You could take a cynical stance (like many others) but there is no denying that there are plenty of wisdom in this book.