I like to read books. I don’t read novels, but like books that make me think. I recently read a quote that was in the Farnam Street Blog that got me re-reading The Alchemist by Paulo Cuelho, a book that I have read at least 8 times over the past 2 years. Before I talk about the book, I do highly recommend that you at least take a look at the Farnam Street Blog. It is an intelligent summary of books and articles that challenge thinking. The quote was from Joseph Tussman, who was a Professor of Philosophy at Cal Berkeley. It states “What the pupil must learn, if he learns anything at all, is that the world will do most of the work for you, provided you cooperate with it by identifying how it really works and aligning with those realities. If we do not let the world teach us, it teaches us a lesson.”
I first read the Alchemist at the recommendation of a new friend Peter Stickney. I found out we share a lot of interests, and we have become really good friends. The first time I read the Alchemist, I initially thought I was reading a simplistic children’s book. But as I kept reading it, I started to reflect more on some of the message that seemed to spring up to me from someone in my submerged sub-conscious. Every time I re-read the book, I get something new out of it. Its one of those things, kind of like watching The Shawshank Redemption that you never get tired of seeing it over and over again. Here is the link to that Farnam Street Blog page
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