The Power of Choices
“The boy reached through to the Soul of the World, and he saw that the Soul of the World was his own soul. And, that he, a boy, could perform miracles.” (Coelho p145) A boy in search of a treasure, Santiago, the main character in the book The Alchemist, uses guidance from nearly everyone within sight of his path, to haul himself to the finish-line of his journey. The knowledge of all those around him teach Santiago how miracles, such as turning himself into wind in the Sahara Desert, can become, of an innocent, down-to-earth shepherd traveling with his beloved charges, in the Andalusian countryside. To find miracles in life, however, and find it so lovable, a man must face the hardships of life, and, through experience, gain the wisdom of one who can already become one with Earth and find omens during every walk in the abandoned desert. Using his best features, observance, courage, and realization, Santiago makes a challenging but satisfying journey through life.
An observant boy makes his way along the desert, thinking, what new and interesting experiences will I find today? One who isn’t observant looks at the path leading into the desert, thinking, here comes another harsh day of hardships. Santiago is lucky to have the trait of observance. In the marketplace, Santiago loses track of his so called ‘friends and guides’ who had all his money. He now has absolutely nothing. That night he sleeps on the hard ground. The next day, the owner of a candy store starts to set up his stall. Santiago comes to help, and soon afterwards finds that, though neither knows the other’s language, both communicate to each other quite well, and manage the work with a smile. Santiago, in this side-path, learns the Language of the World. “He watched the hawks as they drifted on the wind. Although their flight appeared to have no pattern, it made a certain kind of sense to the boy. It was just that he couldn’t grasp what it meant…Suddenly, one of the hawks made a flashing dive… As it did so, a sudden, fleeting image came to the boy.” (Coelho p95) It is in this quote that the trait of observance may be realized. Santiago does not uncover the vision the hawks foretold by glancing at them, or being drawn in by them. To see what is in front of them, one must observe open-mindedly what lays about them, even things which seem not to have any significance to the world. The significance, after all, of just a beetle, scurrying across the ground where Santiago’s tear had fallen, is all Santiago needs to notice. Just that scarab beetle gives him the thought that the spot must be sacred. This was the spot Santiago digs for his treasure. Many times observance saves his life, or his aching mind, and gives Santiago strength and courage to move forward.
To reach, one’s destiny, they must persevere, time and time again, and never give up. Sometimes, persistence means having the courage to do the unexpected, or the dangerous. In his former life as a shepherd, Santiago has an unanticipated meeting with King Melchizedek of Salem, which changes everything in his life. He must choose between everything he’s ever had or known in his life, or the choice to go to a new land, with nothing more than a bag with few possessions and a dream and omens to guide him. Knowing, of course, which choice would be following his destiny, and his dreams, Santiago makes use of the courage within him, and takes a chance with the less-trodden path. Another courageous moment is at the merchant’s shop. It has been almost a year of cleaning crystals and windows. Now Santiago has, at last, the money to either travel back to Andalusia and start the same life over again, or to take a caravan across the desert to Egypt, and his true destiny. After the incident at the marketplace, Santiago seems to have gotten rather cautious of his choices, and thinks he knows what may be best for him. As he packs, he finds Urim and Thummim, his gifts from the King. As he remembers the words of the wise Melchizedek, some surge of courage brings him to a new decision – he will travel onwards, and won’t stop at a single twist. “ ‘Who dares to read the meaning of the flight of the hawks?’ he demanded, so loudly that his words seemed to echo through the fifty thousand palm trees of Al-Fayoum …’It is I who dared to do so,’ Santiago repeated, and he lowered his head to receive a blow from the sword. ‘Many lives will be saved, because I was able to see through to the Soul of the World.’ “ (Coelho p104-105) This test, set up by the alchemist himself, is a perfect model of Santiago. He illustrates in this quote the good use he makes of courageousness – he stands up for his values, and does not fear that of which many men flee from, ear-piercing screeches gushing from their mouths. It is with courage, and understanding, with which Santiago faces the World and its many wonders.
To truly gain knowledge and understanding, one must come to realization of his surrounding scene, as Santiago does. At the oasis, as Santiago and the alchemist are becoming close friends, the days are coming closer to when he and the alchemist are to set out on the last leg of his journey to the Pyramids. Santiago, however, has no intentions of leaving. He has decided his destiny can stop at the oasis so as he can marry Fatima and be happy, instead of having to leave her for any length of time. However, with a bit of a foreshadowing of his future, the alchemist helps the boy to overcome his heart’s deceptive desire and come to realization of what he must finish. “The boy reached through to the Soul of the World, and he saw that the Soul of the World was his own soul. And, that he, a boy, could perform miracles.” (Coelho p145) Three days, it takes, for Santiago to come to realization of what he is, and that he can become joined together with any of those that share the same soul – the Soul of the World. However, to come to such conclusion is something which aids him thereafter as he finds other circumstances, needing help to come to realization of the outcome. After digging helplessly near the base of the Pyramids, and being abused by a group of misinformed refugees, trying to obtain riches from him, Santiago tells the leader the truth about his vain dream. They leave, but not before the leader informs Santiago about one of his dreams, and how useless it was. After hearing the refugee leader’s dream about becoming a shepherd and finding treasure near some church, Santiago realizes where his treasure was all along – it is at his life’s beginning, where he had his first glimpses of his destiny. After all, everything on Earth is just a part of a cycle, a cycle of life, and to appreciate the luck one gets in the beginning of their life, they must first experience a life of adventure and boredom, good fortune and misery. Santiago has many situations in which he can use some of his character traits conveniently. To reach the end of his destiny, Santiago must be alert, spirited, and comprehensive. Santiago makes a remarkably tough and adventurous journey, and learns to understand more than he ever new existed. Santiago’s extensive journey, and the side-trips along with it, changed him from an absent-minded shepherd boy, to a wise, grown desert-man. Any man or woman, poor or rich, though, can reach their destiny the moment time permits them to. It is not for the existence of power to decide upon one’s voyage through life, but for the person himself.In my life's journey, I've found many experiences to learn from, and to guide my way through life's tricky obstacles. I have made us
e of my open-minded nature to see the postives of this world's creations, and to understand that of which surrounds me. Every time I move, I find myself saying good-bye to some whom I may never see again in my life. Open-mindedness has brought me to see what lies beyond sad good-byes, empty houses, and starting my social life over again. I've used an open mind to find new opportunities in every new home. Furthermore, in some places I've lived in, I've used my open mind to see through the odds to a fascinating culture, amusing climate, or enchanting terrains. Open-mindedness, however, has also produced conflict in myself at times, for it occasionally provides me with a couple too many things to consider before I am able to make a decision. Travel with an open mind primarily brings a person to see his surroundings in bright, positive ways, and I have been living my life with open-mindedness, without regret.http://loscuatroojos.com/2008/08/02/
"Dream Variations," by Langston Hues represents judgement, and how it can fade into the background if thrown away into the back of the brain. This is precisely what the man in the poem has done. He lives his life carefree, and cares not for the complications of the lives and impressions of others. This poem is the story of a black man in a white man's world, and how he learns to live with them, yet not near them at all. During the day, he lives in the white man's world, and enjoys every moment of it, as he does not see nor acknowledge those around him. And during the night, he settles into the darkness around him, and enjoys the undisturbed silence of the night. 
