Alchemy

The Alchemist
One of the books which has had a profound effect upon my life is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. If you ever needed motivation to pursue your dreams, The Alchemist is a sure read. I received the book as a gift on my 27th birthday. Ten years on, I am still raving about it. In fact, I must have read The Alchemist at least five times if not more, and have bought at least double that amount of extra copies for friends. It is such a totally, totally terrific read.

And no, Paulo Coelho is not paying me to write this…

Santiago
The hero of the book, Santiago, a poor shepherd boy, had a dream. No, I don’t mean a vision. I mean he slept and had a dream; and through emotional, spiritual, financial and physical drudgery, he pursued the actualisation of that dream.

And he did it with pure gusto.

He was adventurously expectant. Emptied himself of everything that was within him, and in the process, found life, found love, found many friendships, and found his treasure. He lived, to my mind, generously and abundantly.

‘‘I have come that they might know life, and know life more abundantly.’’

On trying to fast track abundance
A few years back, my neighbour’s domestic help came to greet me one Sunday morning. He joyously told me that he would be travelling to the UK. Very well, I thought. And what would you be doing, I enquired? Oh, he would be studying accountancy he informed. I enquired on how he had managed to obtain visa, funds to study et cetera.

Without any hesitation he told me that for the handsome fee of $2000, he had solicited the assistance of someone from the Army who had fraudulently obtained a visa for him by saying that he (i.e. the domestic help) was his (the Army officer) son.

He caught my attention now.

Where had he got the $2000 from, I asked? Oh, he borrowed it from his boss (my neighbour), he told me. Someone had come to make a payment to his boss whilst the boss had travelled, and he had used part of the funds to pay the Army officer. And yes, he had every intention to pay his boss back. All he needed was just someone to pay for his ticket to the UK, and he would work as well as study and repay his boss.

Out of sheer shock, I laughed so much that my stomach ached.

Back to Santiago
Santiago’s story in The Alchemist is really the story of our lives, if we allow God to work in us. His story is not that much different from that of Joseph, David or of St Paul for that matter. He lived, he experienced many ups and many downs, but he held on. He held on in faith and in reverence hope in his dream.

The thing that really blows my mind about that book is at the very end. By this time Santiago has travelled from his home in Spain to Tangiers and then to the Egyptian desert. Then he physically sees the object he dreamt about. Just as he was about to dig for his treasure, a couple of tourists jostle and mock him, questioning the right of a shepherd boy to be in amongst the tourist site of plenty.

The story of Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel chapter 19 comes to mind as a parallel here. I think at this point it also helps to remember that Paulo Coelho is a deeply religious Catholic.

Santiago explains his mission to them and explains that he is about to contact his treasure. Sarcastically, one of them mocks him further. Telling him that he had also had a similar dream, but, unlike Santiago, he had not been as foolish as to pursue a dream dreamt over a hangover. Well, guess who missed their opportunity?

Needless to say, Santiago continued on his course and found his treasure and fortune. True to the very end.

Dictionary definitions
The dictionary definition of alchemy is the "medieval forerunner of chemistry, concerned particularly with attempts to convert common metals into gold". Whilst I think my former neighbour’s domestic help was attempting to turn metal into gold the impossible way, I feel that Santiago actually succeeded in doing so – and he did it the right way, the legitimate way and yes, he found his treasure. The road was the road less travelled, the road was long and hard, but it was also the road that led him to friendships, wisdom, his wife and his treasure.

But as for my neighbour's domestic help, if I know my former neighbour well, I am sure the minute he returned home from his travels, he got the police to arrest the domestic help.

Our charge
Our Saviour and our Lord has charged us live an abundant life. He has charged us to make the most of every situation, and He has charged us to add value to every situation we find ourselves in. How? Ecclesiastes 9 is a great read: Verses seven and eight tells us to seize life and to reverently relish life, make the most of each and every day of this gift of life. Dress festively every morning.

Festively adorn all that is you (your business, family, your career) with joy and gladness. That is true alchemy – choosing to turn the metals in our lives into bullion. The road less travelled.

Wisdom -the art of living skilfully in whatever actual conditions we find ourselves in.