Destiny

I've just finished reading "The Alchemist", by Paulo Coelho. And I could not believe its freaky uncanniness with my present journey of life; it was as if the author had read my innermost thoughts, grasped my egoistic beliefs and wrote the book specially for me!

In short, it was about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travelled from his homeland in search of his Personal Legend, which was a treasure that he had dreamed of, buried within the Pyramids of Egypt. Along the way, he met various people and strangers who would influence him deeply and change his life significantly. And of course, he found romantic love as well in the wilderness of the deserts. Eventually, the treasure ended up being where he had first started off.

It is, as quoted: "...an eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts."

The ending is nevertheless tad disappointing for me, because it tells us that the treasures we have been painstakingly seeking elsewhere may actually be right at our doorsteps. Is this what my destiny is going to be? To go through the pilgrimage of life paved with unsurmountable obstacles so that I finally realise that I should have stuck at home to begin with?

"To realise one's destiny is a person's only obligation."

Poetic indeed, but I hope I would have been more fulfilled.