I’ve been reading a lot lately. A couple of Paulo Coelho books went by quick. A book on investing in gold and silver came and went. I have also started an ebook on creative mortgage financing, a book on commercial real estate, and a sci-fi fantasy novel in my beloved Dragonlance series. (I have not read a Dragonlance book in a while and I have been wanting to read the Kinslayer Wars for years. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to get all 3 books in the trilogy so I started the Elven Exiles trilogy instead). All the while reading a friend’s old xanga entries, which, has got to be the strangest yet most interesting book I have ever read.
We create these blogs for many different reasons. We write these online journals to either express our thoughts, fill friends in on what’s been going on in our lives, or to even commentate on different things occurring around the world. I don’t think many of us ever think that they’ll be read like an old book. It is a very interesting to do so. Reading what has happened in my friend’s life in the past 5 years is crazy. Who would ever think that we could some day read the stories of our friends’ lives! (It’s strange in that it feels a bit stalker-ish but I won’t get into that.) It’s very interesting because it feels like I’m reading an autobiography! It’s different than reading my friends’ blogs as they were being posted. That feels like reading the daily news. Reading an old blog of a new friend is like reading their history. Quite interesting indeed.
Just finished Michael Maloney’s book on investing in gold and silver. If you scare easy do not read this book. It will seriously make you start to think that the sky will fall soon. However, if you’d like to know how the world might implode it’s a good book to read. Also, if you ever thought about investing in precious metals it’s definitely a must read.
Ok, so I really enjoyed reading Paulo Coelho’s The Zahir and it continues to inspire me to write about random thoughts I have when I can’t sleep. There’s one line of text that really hits me like a “slug to the” left hemisphere of my brain (thanks Mr. Shakur):
“When I had nothing more to lose, I was given everything. When I ceased to be who I am, I found myself. When I experienced humiliation and yet kept on walking, I understood that I was free to choose my destiny.”
The Zahir captures us but it is ultimately our journey that decides what we become. It’s like the saying, “What you get from squeezing oranges is orange juice. Great pressure exposes ones true self.”
I know. Very inspiring. It’s like the great sages of the old world manifested themselves into my mind and refuse to let me SLEEP!
Final Thought: Many walk the path their world sets for them without giving it much thought. Few choose the destiny The World sets for them. Many sleep at this time of day. I am apparently destined to go crazy due to lack of sleep.
Amazing how much reading gets done when one starts displaying insominatic tendencies.
In any case, if you’re looking for a review of Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist you have come to the wrong place. Go read the book yourself and be your own reviewer. Some like it, some do not, and some love it.
For myself, the book presents itself like an omen. Which, I find humorous because the book is about omens and seeking out ones destiny. I have had the book for quite some time but I only read it now. I see it as an omen because there are a lot of things going on in my life right now that make it difficult for me to pursue what I want in life, nae, what I need in life. Yet, in the midst of the chaos that is life, a simple book presents itself and reminds me that life is more than existing.
Whatever the heck that means.
Anyway, I believe in listening to my heart and in doing so it has lead me to where I am today. Despite the challenges and the obstacles that I have encountered I feel very fortunate to be where I am. Looking back it is possible to see how the world has “conspired” to get me here and how it will continue to do so in order for me to live out my dreams. Not only do my parents, siblings, friends, teachers, and acquaintances shape what I learn, read, and experience, they also shape when I learn, read, and experience. A simple book read at a different time in ones life may not have the same impact.
Then again, maybe I’m just a babblin’ buffoon who needs some more sleep after having the smack laid down on him time and time again over the last year. Oh well, at least I have lived most of my twenty odd years of life and will continue doing so thanks to The Alchemist.
My opinion of Paulo Coelho’s The Zahir is my own. Go read the book yourself. Enjoy =)
