Justin Orloff

Born in 2002, I was part of the first generation with a digital childhood. At the time, immersive (now primitive) games like Pokémon and Zelda captured all of my attention. Years later I received the Xbox 360 and an iPhone, and my attention was stuck in a chokehold. Although my parents always read to me and school assigned books to read, I always found myself dreadfully unimpressed by words on a page. During my sophomore year of college I met a girl who always had her nose buried in her books. I would always tease her, and I refused to believe that anything in those books was more interesting than tuning into Netflix. Either way, I was enamored by this girl. Currently it’s my senior year, and I have spent the best two years of my life with her. This avid reader has certainly rubbed off on me. This blog will detail my journey into reading. The first book I started with was “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho.

I chose “The Alchemist” because I heard from a friend about the underlying themes of following your personal legend and seeking personal fulfillment. I feel like these themes will be symbolic of my journey into reading. There will be ups and downs, and it will be up to me to persevere. Santiago went from a shepherd to understanding of the winds, the desert, and the hand that created all. On a lesser level, I hope to go from a zero to an avid reader.
The novel is a captivating fable about Santiago, a young Andalusian shepherd boy who dreams of finding a worldly treasure located somewhere beyond the Egyptian pyramids. Encouraged by a mysterious king to pursue his “Personal Legend,” Santiago embarks on a transformative journey that takes him far from his home in Spain, across the Mediterranean and the Egyptian desert. Along the way, he meets a series of characters including an Englishman, a merchant, and an alchemist, each teaching him about listening to his heart, recognizing opportunity’s omens, and learning that true treasures lie where your heart belongs. The novel is a profound meditation on the importance of pursuing one’s dreams by following what is written in one’s heart. It explores themes of destiny, personal legend, and the interconnectedness of all things, ultimately revealing that the treasure Santiago sought was within him all along.

This novel genuinely changed the way I feel about my current plight. I am a soon to graduate senior in college trying to figure out where to start my career. Although I am not sure what I want to do with the rest of my life, one thing is certain. I will quiet my mind and learn to understand my heart. My favorite line is when Santiago says, “My heart is afraid it will have to suffer,” to which the alchemist responds, “Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of a search is a second’s encounter with god and with eternity.” It’s time to pick myself up and get to work. It’s time to beef up that resume, build my website, and start my blog. The time to double down on my efforts is now. Thank you Paulo Coelho, and thank you to whomever may read this.

As I finished “The Alchemist” I was filled with both enormous glee and deep despair. This was the first step on my journey, and I honestly have no idea where to go from here. I feel a deep hole, as this incredible story ended almost as quickly as it started. I only wish it was longer.