Suffering In The Alchemist

In Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, regarding the statement "Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself,” there are many different meanings. Two deep meanings of this quote is the thought that suffering is a physical suffering, on the other hand the fear of suffering is intangible. Which is also a type of suffering; fear is suffering. Another meaning is that fear is completely real, however at the same time is is falsified by pop culture. In The Alchemist, it was much easier for Santiago to move through the suffering than it was to fear suffering and never want to go and explore. Both in Paulo Coelho’s book and real life, suffering is the easier part and fear complicates everything.

In the book The Alchemist

Santiago crawled through his suffering with difficulty. In some instances he did not want to go on from just the pure fear of what bad news awaited him; when he pushed through his fear of suffering and made it to the suffering he handled the physical suffering with ease. Physical suffering is easier than the fear of suffering because it's quick and once your through, you are done for good until you reach the next suffering. Throughout the entire book Santiago was in a constant battle between his heart and brain trying to figure out whether to fear suffering or to charge at it like a raging bull. Sometimes he was motivated to fulfill his dream and others Santiago was torn down by the deadly pain of suffering. The pain of suffering is trying to accomplish nothing but to drag people down and discourage them.

Suffering is a physical feeling and the fear of suffering is a thought and an idea.

I dead can be changed however suffering cannot. If someone is bullying you and punching you in the face; there is no possible way of making the pain less. However, the fear of being bullied is a thought and you can decide not to be fearful and run away. Instead your heart can help you stand up for yourself and prevent the suffering. The fear of suffering causes as well as ending suffering itself. No one can change what suffering is but they can decide when and where they witness suffering. If everyone in the world could control their fears in general including their fear of suffering, the world would be a happier place and people would avoid being cowards and on edge all the time. Fear can be

changed.

Fear is real and everyone has to experience fear at least once maybe even more in their lifetime.

Is fear actually reality? No it's not real either, it takes form in both ways. Similar to some gods when they are both human and divine. Fear is the same way, since you can touch or see fear how do we as humans even know that it's there. Fear is a feeling which is intangible, you know it's there because of your heart. Our heart tells us many different things and tell us how we as individual people should live out lives. Suffering is real in out actual lives. We can tell when we're in it or where it is at the moment. When suffering passes is is gone in a jiffy and you probably never even noticed that it was there. Fear of suffering is much harder to find; suffering is what everyone knows

best.

Through out The alchemist as well as in our real lives and dreams, both suffering and fear of suffering are present. We are more familiar are with suffering as are still trying to get to know the fear of suffering. In human nature you are always drawn toward the life and things you know rather than the unfamiliar making suffering better and easier to deal with. Anyone with the choice would default to suffering. In some ways we fear the fear of suffering. We don't even want to think about the fact that we fear suffering and pain. We want to take the easiest and best route of travel: our hearts tell us that we should fear suffering to become a better and more knowledgeable person. On the other hand our brain wants the easiest ways out and will take whatever is available. If the fear of suffering can change the amount of suffering, why not go the extra steps and hardships to accomplish your goal. No matter how hard you trying the fear of suffering will always be harder and more difficult that suffering as a whole.