King Melchizedek's words of wisdom
In The Alchemist, the old man/King Melchizedek of Salem teaches Santiago the concept of the World's Greatest Lie. When Santiago asks the King what the World's Greatest Lie is, the King responds saying "'[...] that at a certain point in our lives we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie.'" This passage if the book leaves an everlasting impact on Santiago, and it dictates his life and decisions. He has believes in the King, and trusts his mind is powerful therefore following his words of wisdom.
Relation to The Alchemist? What do I need to know about the World's Greatest Lie to understand the book?
Sources
http://kirstyne.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/alchemist.jpg Book image
http://www.positiveonly.info/uploaded_pics/pyramids.jpg The desert image
http://www.photographyblog.com/images/photo_of_the_week/11170906/The%20Old%20Sycamore%20Tree.jpg Sycamore image
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mgholler/Caden/melchizedek.jpg King Melchizedek image
What is the World's Greatest Lie?
The World’s Greatest lie is a frequent theme in The Alchemist. The world’s greatest lie is that at one point in our lives, we lose all control and fate takes over. This universal philosophy is widely trusted but it is a lie. We have control over our own lives at all times and fate never takes over. It is used as an excuse for mistakes like failing a math test, “oh I failed that test because it was destiny.” This example is an instance of believing the world’s greatest lie. Their is no fate, but there is Personal Legend and the Soul of the World, which is that every person has a reason for being. In The Alchemist, the old man King Melchizidek teaches the young boy Santiago to never believe in the World’s Greatest Lie, and that you are always in control of your own destiny.