“The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho is a book about a shepherd named Santiago, who has a dream about that he has to look for a treasure at the pyramids in Egypt, which at the end, turns out that the treasure was not on Egypt, but in his native Spain. Among all the important quotes that this book said, the following catched my attention: “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it”. This phrase has a meaning to me for the background that represents to me.
This phrase was mentioned in the book “The Alchemist” by Melchizedek, King of Salem, when he talks to Santiago (although it repeats many time throughout the book) in Tarifa. In this scene, the king and Santiago are discussing about the soul of the world and about the personal legend of each person. When this quote is repeated throughout the book, there is a pattern that is repeated whenever a personal legend of someone else is discussed or when something bad happens to Santiago. This pattern defined gives meaning to the quote which also could be reworded as “You can do anything you want, if you really want to”.
I choose this quote because of the historical meaning that it has to me (this is probably the most common favorite quote). My parents read “The Alchemist” and on the opposite way of me, they really like the book. My parents therefore encouraged me since I was in Elementary to know what to do when I grew up regardless of how much I would get pay, but for some reason, Middle School mess it up (as many things in my life) and they betrayed these ideals and they were always bugging me with “Hey, you should be a nurse” “Nurses are so rich” “If you are responsible, you should be a nurse” “Your aunt is a nurse and she has a condo in South Padre Island” “You will date many girls on nursing” (they actually said this), etc. But I wanted nursing as far as possible from me, back then my favorite class was history because it was the class in which I knew the most and I really felt passionate about it. So they were bugging me with other kind of statesmen such “Historians are homeless” “How are you going to pay you bills with that degree?” and “Why are so afraid and don’t follow you dreams?”. The last one, really pissed me off because they absolutely had no idea about what my dreams really were. One day, I finally gave up and agreed at last to study nursing in college, after all they make good money. But I was not happy with this decision, because I have always believed that all people have the freedom to explore their options, and the freedom to choose which one is the best for each person (and in the book this what the Personal Legend is about). Therefore they have been betraying their own ideals that were established long time ago, which for me is one of the worst things a person can do. Therefore, I talked to my parents and I reminded them of this forgotten quote, and they finally let me study History. For me the universe conspired for me when it allowed me to go to med high, to go to a good college in the US, where this “Personal Legend” can be achieved. When I ask myself “What if I had stayed in Mexico?” I realize that things would not be better, but worse instead, because I would go to a regular mexican high school (which are no good at all) with students bribing teachers, bullies and drugs.
Then after High School, I would go to some university to study something about health, then I would live with my parents probably until they die, and I would be a poor, sour, old man wondering about the other hypothetical scenario, ranting, and remembering on those emotions that I felt by those history books that I read during middle school.
In conclusion of all discussed above, this quote is my favorite because it does not only represents an epic achievement of mine, but also it represents the freedom to dream, and to work towards the dreams. This quote has defined on how I am going to act from now on, which is to focus towards my Personal Legend, to compromise with myself to not to finish the day without me doing something that will lead me to the personal legend, and to have the courage to fight our way to this personal legend, and do not let anyone, not even loved ones to get on this way.
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