Day 33 – 52 Books in 52 Weeks

Let’s see, I’ll start with The Alchemist tonight. I only read about another 25 pages. I find it boring and predictable from this author who the New York Times calls the “Brazilian wizard.” Paulo Coelho continues to throw the reader deep into mysticism and New Age “doctrines.” Santiago is having a rough go of it (of course he is because Coelho needs all of these “omens” to show up in his life to show him the right path).

I really hate reading books where I already know what’s going to happen. So far, this is really textbook storytelling, and in my opinion, not written well. I’ve read many “follow your dreams” plots and there are quite a few good ones out there – that go the standard route then, when you least expect it, toss in something you didn’t see coming. So far, none of that here. All it seems to do is push his beliefs through the wanderings of this boy. Boring.

On a different note, and yet oddly similar, I went back to Mein Kampf. Hitler is pushing his own beliefs, but he’s much more masterful at it. This man, evil as he was, followed his own dream, got millions of people to believe him and blindly follow him – and ended up murdering millions of innocent people in the process.

Hitler was brilliant with propaganda. He took history and twisted it to show, from his point of view, why his way was the only way to save Germany. Of course, he thought it was the right thing to do and the moral thing to do. He says, on page 96, “…it should not be forgotten that the highest aim of human existence is not the preservation of a state, let alone a government, but the preservation of the species.” And in his eyes, the species he is referring to are Germans.

He continues his tirade on the Austrian Parliament, the Jewish people and now takes up arms against the Catholic church, and continues to reinforce his belief that only through the indoctrination of children and the use of propaganda can the species be saved.

When discussing two different “political” parties that he was studying, he makes this remark, “It recognized the value of large-scale propaganda and was a virtuoso in influencing the psychological instincts of the broad masses of its adherents” (page 119).

As he nears the end of chapter three, where he’s been discussing the lessons he learned while in Vienna, he remarks a couple of times about the important of winning over the artisans to influence others to join their struggle. Reminds me a lot of Hollywood. Get the power of Oprah behind you and your cause is seen as just and true. Unfortunately, Oprah is not all seeing, nor all knowing…

These two books, written generations apart, are, in a way, linked to each other. Hitler wanted to rule the world and knew that using the press, the written word (via propaganda) and indoctrinating the “broad masses” with his beliefs would be the basis for his rise in power. Coelho, on the other hand, uses a message of “peace” and “enlightenment” and “good omens” under the guise of Catholicism to indoctrinate the masses with a lie. A lie believed by many artisans that endorsed the book: Madonna, Anthony Robbins, and Julia Roberts to name just a few.

Kinda scary if you ask me.