The Philosopy of Paulo Coelho

 

THE PHILOSOPHY OF PAULO COELHO

  

         “Before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we’ve learned as we’ve moved toward that dream. That’s the point at which most people give up. It’s the point at which, as we say in the language of the desert, one ‘dies of thirst just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon.”

— Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

       The Philosophy of Life is one of the most important pillars of life studies. The basic task on the Philosophy of life is to answer the questions on life and how one lives. Philosophy deals with topics of our existence, values, and reasoning. It also attempts to answer questions such as: "Is there a best way to live?"

         Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian author. In his writings, he aims to teach the meaning of life and the way to live it. In his most famous book 'The Alchemist", his philosophy includes owning the responsibility of our happiness. He originally wrote 'The Alchemist' in Portuguese in 1988. In this book, Coelho's philosophy in life focuses on living well in this world, and his universal idea of GOD. The phrase "the Soul of the World" is how Coelho referred GOD in his book.

         Coelho's book "The Alchemist" revolves around the journey of a young shepherd boy named Santiago who goes on a journey and quest to find the treasure he sees in his dreams. Along the way, he encountered many obstacles and hindrances. These made the journey into an adventure. The story is a message of hope. Generally, Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist” talks about life, potential, love, spirit, enlightenment, controlled luck, purity, respect, fulfillment, trust, and fate.

Coelho believes that courage is one essential character that a man should possess to live well in life. He also gives importance to the power of intuition.  Intuition, “is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life,” Coelho said. According to him, we must learn to discern ourselves, learn to trust ourselves, and learn to be independently decisive.

       Paulo Coelho’s philosophy does not believe in tragic fate. He considers it as the world’s greatest lie. He believes that when people accept this kind of misguided belief, they lose their power to control things happening in their life. Those who dare to follow their dreams and aspirations have a greater responsibility in managing their freedom. To believe is to kill that self-doubt that would hinder the realization of one’s achievement.

      Coelho is a strong believer in GOD. In his book 'The Alchemist”, he emphasized that once an act is aligned within the goodness of GOD, all the universe conspires to help achieve it. His book talked about personal responsibility in the pursuit of happiness. Additionally, he believes that all who are happy have GOD within them.

        Worse than suffering itself is the fear of suffering. But no heart ever experienced suffering in the search of dreams, according to the alchemist. One’s dream is planted in his heart, and what one is seeking is actually seeking him. Every second of the search is an encounter with God and eternity, hence when one lives his life around his dream, there will be more heart in his life. Romantic love is not as crucial as one’s duty to chase his dreams. He believes that this kind of love can be destructive at times.

     What you think, it is. Great achievements are the results of great mindsets. He said that this is evident in people who chose to ignore the impossible; they produced the greatest inventions that once believed to be impossible to do.

      Don’t live in either your past or your future, concentrate only on the present and you’ll be happy. In life, destiny is the journey itself. One's journey will always be full of tests. The universe will make sure that you will learn the necessary lessons along your journey. When encountering difficulties on the journey, one should overcome it rather than give up. Focus at the moment and pass those tests to prove yourself worthy of the reward.

      The alchemist said that action is the only way to learn. You will fall. But you can also get up every time you fall, persist. Every time you get up whenever you fall, you become better. Coelho believes that when one becomes better everything around him becomes better too.

 Keep moving forward. At times you may be hardest hit and feel that it seems impossible to pursue your dreams. Gather all your courage and determination to forge yourself ahead, persist. Remember that when you really want it, the universe conspires to make it happen. A victor being severely tested is a part of a result of every search.

          Paulo Coelho lived his philosophy himself. He did not give up on his dream of literary success for his book The Alchemist'. The book did not sell initially. So, he decided to knock on doors literally until a significant publishing house in Brazil published it again, and it became a success.

        Conclusively, Paulo Coelho’s philosophy of life is simple yet admirable. He has no interest in solving mysteries of creation or the nature of the universe. He likes more to study the ordinary worries of a common man and attempts to provide peace and happiness. These are somewhat convincing and practical. Finally, I’d love to emphasize this, “when you really desire something from the heart and soul, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it” Coelho said.