After reading "The Alchemist"

I wanted to read the book "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho but I never got hold of that book until I visited the district library at my place a couple of days back. I read through the prologue and thought this is going to be a very simple 'narrative' type story mainly for teen readers... But, I am surprised!!! 

Indeed the story was a narrative and not like other fictional books I have read so far, however in this book lies so many truths about life and how we achieve to live it. The book is all about pursuing one's Personal Legend and walking the path of one's life in the way one wants it but when we compare to the life we live in this current world every individual does not live his life the way he wants.

The time we go to school and attain a certain maturity we dream about what our future will unfold for us and how we want to achieve it. We live up to it until we graduate and enter into the practical world where we end up choosing a life that is nothing but always and comparatively a little better than our peers; and we are pleased with it. In this process we forget what we really wanted to become and hence do not seek it anymore.

The book at some point says that there is always a beginner's luck and everything happens as we dreamed of but then life tests us and we face difficulties. Our confidence to continue speaks of who we are and if we stop trying we will never achieve our personal legends. All the time when we try achieving our personal legends our heart keeps talking with our mind and when we stop trying it all stops and there is silence. There is an empty feeling and dissatisfaction in everything we do. 

Have you seen kids talking with their toys and dolls? We have only sensed innocence and age there but we have not realized that kids are making a connection with every little thing they do. But as elders we fail to make that connection even with our peers. We fail to make new friends, take new turns and we always dwell in the past, staying safe and not wanting to see what's on the other side of the wall. 

I loved one specific part in the book that's quoted as below:
"When someone sees the same people every day, they wind up becoming a part of that person's life. And then they want the person to change. If someone isn't what others want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own."

I realize that this is very true and as a human we do not care about our own lives but always intend to teach others how to live. People always say that our journey in this world is short lived and in this journey we meet many people and that we should always smile and bring happiness to every person we meet. 
But have we ever thought of what this journey is about and what is our destination? We speak of people and assets in our life but what happens when we lose them all and then walk in silence? 

After reading this book, I realize that Life is not about earning anything and carrying it all along with us. Life is about spending what we have gained on the journey to reach our destiny. If it is fate that can stop us from what we want to achieve then that fate is nothing but ourselves.