This book, about pursuing dreams, is pretty straightforward in both the language and the ideas. Its beginning with a love story makes it even more suitable for secondary school students.
The main ideas sound familiar, but of course that does not diminish the value of the advice.
The relationship between the present and the future
¡§If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later all also be better. (108)
The inherent difficulties of pursuing your dreams
¡§The desert tests all men: it challenges every step, and kills those who become distracted.¡¨(117)
The accessibility of dreams despite the difficulties
¡§When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream,¡¨ said the alchemist.(120)
Fear - the real obstacle to realization of dreams
"People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don¡¦t deserve them, or that they¡¦ll be unable to achieve them.¡¨ (136)
"The fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself."(137)
"There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.¡¨ (149)
Assumption: everyone has a dream and thinks about life and the world
"Whenever your heart is, there you will find your treasure." (122)
"It will always be there inside you, repeating to you what you¡¦re thinking about life and about the world¡KYou will never be able to escape from your heart. So it¡¦s better to listen to what it has to say." (136)
I do have doubt about the two assumptions. Dream is such a romantic word, and yet, in most cases, people are tongue-tied when you ask them what their dreams are. (From my experience, even a question about hobbies is too embarrassing for many people.) Some people expect nothing. Some people will say their dreams are a life with an endless supply of money, good food, a gorgeous house and no work. There is nothing wrong with a desire for wealth. The question is what comes after money. The problem is the dream just ends there. ¡§Money, I want lots of money, and lots of free time, but don¡¦t ask me what I would do if I had plenty.¡¨
I am not so sure about the second assumption either. How many people take life and the world seriously? Perhaps my social circle is too small for me to meet someone who thinks hard about the two things. I really have no one to fruitfully exchange thoughts and feelings with in this respect. I have learnt to be clever enough to avoid bringing up this topic in social gatherings.
Dreams are not just for children
"Everyone on earth has a treasure that awaits him¡Kpeople no longer want to go in search of them. We speak of them only to children. Later, we simply let life proceed, in its own direction, toward its own fate.¡¨ (138)
I have a dream, Martin Luther King bellowed powerfully to the world, which touched so many hearts including mine. The freshest point of this book, I think, is that it points out adult¡¦s hypocrisy. Call it double standards if hypocrisy is too harsh a word. Some people never have any respectable dreams, and yet they demand one from their children. There are people who used to have ones, but, as the writer says, abandoned them after brief challenges came up.
There are just so many worthwhile things, big or small, not just for children. How many parents and teachers actually pick up a book and read regularly or do that at all when they complain about their children having no interest in reading? Many adults seem to have forgotten the advice is also for themselves. But then that also shows that more preaching does not necessarily end in more practice. All adults should do some soul-searching from time to time.
