This year has been a battle, and I am anxious for next year. However, it wasn't until New Year's that I realized that instead of living in the moment and making the best of it, I was stressing and fearing what would come next year: COLLEGE-yes scary!!! It was through thinking like a philosopher that I got to reflect on The Stranger and The Alchemist. Eventually, I concluded that while Meursault- from The Stranger- took everything for granted and didn't appreciate life, Santiago -from The Alchemist- lived every moment of his journey without fear and instead had hope in his life. It was this that motivated me to be more like Santiago.
Lowkey, Santiago is someone that I look up to. He’s THE MAN, THE GUY, THE MPC! His energy and enthusiasm to reach for his dreams make me want to have his mindset. However, anyone can have this TOP Mindset because "When you're enthusiastic about what you do, you feel this positive energy" (Coelho pg. 78) that will guide you to an adventure filled with joy to learn about your mistakes to achieve success. We must not give up! And as I've said in my other blogs, "I can't do exist"; everything is in our mindset to do whatever we want. You only live once! And we must make every minute count and matter to us. However, it’s impossible for everyone to truly value one's journey in life. Meursault, from The Stranger, is a clear example of someone who sees no point in life. "Since we're going to die, it's obvious that when and how don't matter." (Ward pg.82) Meursault doesn't know how to take advantage of his life opportunities, like being free. He finds no purpose in life because he lacks faith, hope, or love. Due to this negative mindset, he doesn't work hard to escape jail. However, I found it ironic when, in the end, he said, " I laid my heart open to the being indifference of the universe. To feel it so like myself, indeed, so brotherly, made me realize that I'd been happy and that I was happy". (Ward pg.119) Even though he didn't have a proud and positive mindset to achieve something in life, he was still happy to be different than everyone. His happiness didn't come from having the stereotypical sources of hope, like meeting society's expectations, but rather from purely accepting his reality and unique persona. WHO ON EARTH IS HAPPY WHILE BEING SEPARATED FROM NOT ONLY YOUR FIANCE BUT FOR YOUR FREEDOM!!!! Lowkey, I found this character insane, yet his bold and determined mindset made him look like he was rebelling against the judge when he was simply telling the harsh truth. His honesty gave him hope that he wouldn’t end up in jail. However, things didn’t go as planned, and I headed prisoner. He wasn’t sad about the outcomes, yet he was happy about the journey that got him there. Yet, if he had touched a little more grass, I think he would have set his mindset to have life goals and try not to be in prison. Even though he felt like life was absurd, in the end, when reflecting on his journey, he had a hopeful perspective in creating his own meaning of his destiny. If I were him, I would be crying, but everyone is different, and if reflecting on his indifference to the world made him happy, then I'm happy for him. Good for you, buddy.
In every dark situation, there is always light; we just need to act and search for it. Hope is a way of thinking; it is something that can be taught; it's the belief that your future will be greater than today and that you have the power to make it so. The modern world has told everybody that you're supposed to be happy all the time; I don't think that's true because when you feel sad, you feel depressed, and it's supposed to be a warning that something must change. It's the determination that takes all that negativity and converts it into unlimited energy to fix our lives. "Energy cannot be destroyed, only transformed"(Dana). Take depression and turn it into hope and motivation. At that moment, life will turn into a blessing. It is that hope of becoming a better person each day that fulfills our dreams and gives us something to look forward to each day. It's not about where you're at but how you got there. Through being determined and persistent throughout hard work, our stamina will yield a positive mindset along with hopes and dreams for the future.
Last year in psych, I learned that the more you force yourself to smile, the happier you’ll likely be. I realized that this was also true with our brains. We will not lose hope and aim for success if we think of positive things. While reading about how powerful our minds can be, I came across an article called The Trap of Negative Thinking. Just like smiling can create a joyful mindset, “A pessimistic mindset can lead to a downfall spiral, affecting your motivation and overall quality of life. Recognizing and challenging negative thoughts is crucial to breaking free from this destructive cycle”(Rivera). We must break away from being soft and delicate and instead remain strong. Now, don't get me wrong, it's okay to feel happy or sad; however, sadness shouldn't last forever. We must keep moving forward and try to see the positive aspects of every situation.
Even though Santiago thought he would marry the first girl, he eventually moved on because his focused and hopeful mindset led him to succeed, eventually finding another girl and another treasure. One has control over his or her future. A good example is said in the Poems of Icarus, "Fails every time and hates himself for trying"(Icarus Poems). This reveals how even though Icarus no longer had the same glory as his wings, he still tried to create small wings, not falling into depression, and he kept trying to fly. By setting a strong and determined mindset while ignoring his which I'm assuming he had physically- he managed to have self-love by not giving up and learning from his failures. Although I did find it ironic how he hates himself for trying, man must be so positive that he dislikes that he can't.
"It is so very important for us to give energy to our hopes and dreams than we do to our fears and doubts"(Nelson). We must try to forget about the bad things in life. You only live once, so why keep having grudges about the past? This only makes our minds have a toxic mindset. We must let go and move towards our next goal! We must break away from our bubble and have the discipline to have energy to wake up and achieve our goals rather than what I would call "sleeping in our comfy bed hiding away from a scary monster". With an enthusiastic mindset, our fears and doubts can be overcome.
Positivity is contagious. Our age or background doesn't matter because everything is possible with the right mindset. The path may be rocky, but the results will be everlasting, yet it takes hope and perseverance to reach the top of the mountain.
Bibliography:
Coelho, Paulo. The Alchemist. HarperOne, 2014.
Nelson, Noelle. “Embrace Your Dreams by Focusing on Optimism.” Sixty and Me, 2 Mar. 2023, sixtyandme.com/optimism-and-dreams/.
Rivera, Elvis. “The Power of Thoughts: How Your Mind Shapes Your World.” LinkedIn, 6 Aug. 2023, www.linkedin.com/pulse/power-thoughts-how-your-mind-shapes-world-elvis-rivera#:~:text=To%20sum%20up%2C%20the%20way,affect%20our%20behavior%20and%20choices.
Ward, Matthew. The Stranger. Vintage International, 1988.
"Overview: The Alchemist." Novels for Students, edited by Sara Constantakis, vol. 29, Gale, 2009. Gale Literature Resource Center, link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1430006678/LitRC?u=lom_macombtgps&sid=bookmark-LitRC&xid=b12588ec. Accessed 9 Jan. 2024.
“Icarus Poems.Pdf - Icarus Edward Field 5 10 15 20 25 30 Only the Feathers Floating around the Hat Showed That Anything More Spectacular Had: Course Hero.” Icarus Poems.Pdf - Icarus Edward Field 5 10 15 20 25 30 Only the Feathers Floating around the Hat Showed That Anything More Spectacular Had | Course Hero, www.coursehero.com/file/92031630/Icarus-Poemspdf/. Accessed 17 Dec. 2023.
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