When I traveled to the pastoral area, I really walked with a shepherd for half a day. He asked me to help him look after the sheep. I sat on the stone and waited for the sheep to graze. I took out the book The Alchemist from my backpack. The wind blew, and the sheep suddenly looked up at me. I felt that they seemed to know what I was reading. At that moment, I realized that I was no different from sheep: I repeat every day, only care about water and food, and never ask where to go tomorrow. And Santiago in the book doesn’t want to be such a sheep.
The story of this book is so simple that even one sentence can explain it: a shepherd boy named Santiago, because of a recurring dream of treasure, sold his sheep and went south to hunt for treasure until he found the treasure of real life. But after reading it, you will find that this is not just a fairy tale, but a life fable for every ordinary person.
After reading the whole book, I found myself very similar to Santiago. Some people advised me to be stable, and some people laughed at me for being naive, but I still did something to pursue my dreams with all my heart, with mixed outcomes. Therefore, when the King of Salem said the famous saying: When you dream of something wholeheartedly, the whole universe will work together to help you realize your wish. My blood is boiling, and I instinctively doubt it. This sentence is so romantic that it is like a slogan of success learning. But after flipping through more than 400 pages, I understood my contradiction: True desire can never be summarized by a slogan. It is mixed with despair after being cheated, hesitation when working to save money, and the impulse to stop for love in the oasis. The universe won’t help you pay the rent, but if you are really walking, the road will grow by itself.
The teenager met Fatima in the oasis and wanted to give up the treasure for her. But Fatima said that if she stopped him then, he would regret it in the future. I agree with this attitude. True love is not a chain, but the wind that pushes the door open. In reality, we are always afraid of being separated and losing control, but the experience of the teenager tells me that two people who reunite after completing their destiny are freer than two sheep tied to each other.
The ending takes place in that abandoned church. The teenager was beaten by refugees at the foot of the pyramid, and finally found that the treasure was right where he started.
Many people feel fooled by the ending, but I think this setting is wonderful: Only those who have gone through the whole journey can see the treasure hidden at the starting point. If he hadn’t been cheated, hadn’t worked in the crystal shop, hadn’t crossed the desert, and hadn’t fallen in love with Fatima, the ruins of the church would have been just his sleeping place. After wandering far and coming back, the soil under his feet turned into gold.
There is another sentence in the book that stays in my mind for a long time: Being afraid of suffering is worse than suffering itself.
In the past, I always calculated the risks repeatedly before taking action, for fear of losing money, humiliation and detours. After the teenager was cheated out of all his money, he learned to do business in the crystal shop; after being captured by the army, he forced himself to understand the language of the wind. Pain did not destroy him, but fear and hesitation did.
If you are standing at a crossroads of choice, or if you feel like a sheep who only knows how to eat grass, this book will push you forward like a gust of wind. It does not teach you to pursue your dreams blindly, but makes you see clearly that the treasure may be behind you, but you have to walk that long road first.
