Holy Compensatory Religion Batman!!!

The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo
It's difficult to like a book that tells you so many things contrary to what you believe you know. America is a very practical country, not a very dreamy or mysterious one. After all, the philosophy of pragmatism arose here and nowhere else. As children we're taught that hard work is rewarded, and in many cases we're taught that hard work brings happiness. Even if we don't abandon our dreams or our personal legends, we're often forced to modify them in the name of practicality. And to read a book that calls these so-called truths into question in the name of magic, alchemy, or religion can be quite provocative.

No one feels comfortable when called upon to abandon the security and the surety of daily life for the sake of mystery. Not many will even admit to hearing such a call, and quite often such calls are ignored altogether. On the rare occasions when such calls are not ignored, in the best of our pragmatic heritage we often modify the calls to suit our needs or our wants. We tend to follow our dreams in our own unique and inspirational ways. We rarely follow the dream itself, choosing instead the dream insofar as it can be shaped by our immediate needs and wants. But _The Alchemist_ wants us to follow the dream itself, trusting in providence to guide us safely. It's a difficult thing to do, just as liking this book is difficult for a seasoned skeptic like myself.

The story builds to a crescendo as the boy summons the creative forces of the universe itself. We learn that miracles can only be performed by the hand that wrote all. We learn that if we only have enough faith or try hard enough we will discover that our soul and the soul of God are one. We learn that miracles can be performed by alchemists and the pure-at-heart. We learn that it is possible to communicate with God through prayer and love.

And we learn that we too can be financially rewarded by following our dreams and having faith.

What a letdown!

Aside from being a bit trite, I thought the book was okay until the end when it became the prequel to _The Prayer of Jabez_. It almost sounded like a late-night get-rich-quick commercial. And it had such promise, too. After all the amazing things that happen to the boy I was surprised, and a bit frustrated, when the book ended with a chest of gold. (The promise of love part I rather liked...because I'm a romantic. Plus, isn't it every man's dream to have a woman who will wait for him to fulfill his destiny before coming back to her? Ha! I'm also a realist.) What better way to celebrate mystery than to become one with the forces of nature. What better way to ruin it than with pillaged treasure. Still though, it would be amazing to see the pyramids.