Destiny Chasers
“If either of us had joined this caravan based only on personal courage, but without understanding that language, this journey would have been more difficult” (Coelho 75). Santiago, a young shepherd boy who dreamt about treasures that was hidden in the Great Pyramids of Giza. It was his destiny to find this treasure. Santiago who lived amongst the hills of Andalusia, Spain his entire childhood, is now heading off to Egypt to overcome his destiny. During his journey, Santiago meets with people who will guide him to realize his destiny. He finds love, learns Alchemy, understood the Universal language, and learns to read omens throughout his journey of finding his treasure. Although Santiago has overcome his destiny but he couldn’t have done it if he wasn’t courageous, open-minded and Persistent enough. These 3 qualities of Santiago served him well throughout his journey accomplish his destiny.
On his journey, Santiago is brave enough to stand up, and to head for his destiny, his courage has shown him ways that he though that he wouldn’t encounter. Above all Santiago wouldn’t have gotten far to Egypt if he didn’t find new ways of traveling or find the secrets of life. One afternoon, Santiago’s courage helped him to tell his father that he didn’t want to become a priest. That he wanted to be a shepherd so that he could travel around and achieve his destiny. Santiago had the courage to leave his hometown and to travel to Egypt. During his journey to an oasis he meets an Alchemist, an alchemist that was a mentor to him but the alchemist had to test the boys courage, and to see if he was ready for what was coming; the boy was astonished that the presence of the alchemist was so much more powerful and mysterious. “I had to test your courage,” the stranger said. “Courage is the quality most essential to understanding the language of the world.” said the Alchemist (Coelho106). Santiago understood that he needed courage to learn the language of the world. His courage has helped him a lot by facing a king of Salem, facing love, face the Alchemist, and made friends with a stranger who he found out that he was an English man, and was heading the similar path that Santiago was heading, but all the courage that Santiago had isn’t enough to prevail his destiny. Santiago had courage to face lots of people, without his courage Santiago wouldn’t have fallen in love, or get guidance from the king of Salem, the Alchemist, or the English men. When Santiago and the alchemist had got captured with a desert tribal group of warrior. Santiago needed his courage and the mentorship of the alchemist to communicate with other souls of the world. By communicating with the wind and other souls of the world he could be able to transform his self into wind, and by doing that he had proven to the chieftain of the tribe that this boy was an alchemist and had know the power of alchemy. The Knowledge of alchemy could blow up his tents and his soldiers. Although Santiago’s courage has helped him a lot to interact with other people, he wouldn’t have done it if he was an open-minded person.
Santiago is an open-minded person because he finds new ways to get going once he gets stuck in his quest or to be in a better position in life. When he finds new ways in life, life gets better fir him. For Example the boy didn’t have any money left after he got mugged. So he started looking for food first, he went to a crystal shop and just by looking at the mirror of the shop he knew that this shop needs cleaning. So he wanted to clean it in exchange for food. The boy asks the crystal merchant, “I can clean up those glasses in the window, if you want,” said the boy. The way they look now, nobody is going to buy them.”(Coelho 43) when the boy was cleaning, 2 customers came in the shop and had brought some crystals. The Crystal merchant was happy and had offered the boy to work in his shop. Now the boy knew that once you do something that is thoughtful in life, life gives you something else as a reward. Santiago is a positive thinker; when he wants to buy a scabbard in a market he was in said that he would buy them once he found his treasure. This means that he still wanted to buy the scabbard and finds new ways of buying them even though he didn’t have enough money. On the way to an oasis, Santiago saw hawk flying and he read the flight of the birds, and they told him that an army was coming. So He thinks about others, that if the army came here and captured them and made them prisoners. Which he didn’t want to be in because he wanted to complete his destiny, so he decided to warn the others about the army that was about to coming. Santiago’s open minded has made him think of others, and the people of the oasis want to reward him because he had saved them. All Though Santiago’s open-mindedness has helped in his journey he still needed to persist or force himself to make his destiny possible.
Santiago had always persisted himself in his life, and now by persisting his dreams he can make it in reality. Santiago had always persisted himself and it had helped him a lot in his journey because without persisting himself he wouldn’t have gotten far to his dreams. “He swept the floor using his jacket and lay down; using the book he had just finished reading as a pillow. He told himself that he would have to start reading thicker books: they lasted longer, and made more comfortable pillows.” Said the boy (Coelho 3). Santiago started out by persisting himself to read thicker books. This also brought knowledge to him and told him fantasies in stories. The knowledge of reading is also the knowledge of learning the language of the world. Later on his journey the Alchemist congratulated Santiago for pursuing his destiny till the end. Even though Santiago didn’t learn anything from the Alchemist but he observed his actions though the guide he was given. Finally when Santiago comes upon his treasure he had to dig for it and of cause he knew that if he gave up now after he’d learn. He would waste so much time discovering his personality. So he continues to dig until he dug upon his treasure.
Santiago’s major traits such as courage, open-mindedness, and persistence have supported Santiago through out his journey to accomplish his destiny. Santiago’s traits have led him successfully to the right path of his dreams. He had found love and had learned alchemy and found his treasures. Santiago had recognized his self and had fulfilled his destiny. If people have a dream they should chase it, just as Santiago did.
Focus on your Destiny
Raj: FocusIn realizing my destiny I will have to realize and focus though out my child hood. I have learned to focus in my life just as Santiago did when he was focusing to realize his destiny. Santiago had persisted himself to chase after his dreams. Each and every one of us have our own dream to archive and by focusing on that dream it will help you to strengthen up your destiny. Although its nature to make people make mistakes and people get unfocused on realizing their destiny.
