Anna Marie E.

Juan, BSAT3-2 March 5, 2012 Philo101 A Reflection Paper: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

Things to me are like unwritten. I myself cant read my mind. There are things that are unclear and undefined. I dont know whats inside; I cant even find my true self.There are times that people feel this way, unfulfilled. Thus, the tendency is like you and me, people look for what may fulfill the incompleteness within us. That is what Siddhartha did in the story. Siddhartha is a man who is intelligent and thirsty for knowledge. With his friend Govinda, he goes a long search of his own life and soul. He seems to be happy, but something bothered him, so he puts himself through so much to find out the true meaning of his life. He chose to be a Samana; he lives solely by himself in the woods; he only has one meal a day and becomes dangerously skinny. He did all these because he believes that life means pain, and he thinks that it is a way to find his self. After putting himself through so many sufferings, he finally realized the value of life. He met a girl named Kamala who he began to worship. She is his sensual mentor. He fell in love with her, and they had a child together who he never had a chance to see because he had left and continued on his search. Then, he met Kamaswami, a merchant who taught him business. Siddhartha became rich and began thinking that life is all about material thingspossessions. He had a huge house and servants who is serving him all day long, yet he felt that it is not the kind of life he must be living with, so he wandered in the woods. He went to a ferryman named Vasudeva who helped him once before. Siddhartha decided that he, too, would become a ferryman. He spent many years in the river with Vasudeva. Time passed by, many things had already change; Kamala died and he learned that

he fathered a son. He tried to raise him with a simple life in the river, but his son wanted to search for more than that just like what Siddhartha did. After a long search, as an old man, Siddhartha finally found the inner peace hed been looking for. Siddhartha experiences

everything in lifepain, materiality, simplicity, happiness, and sorrow in love, which leads to a deep compassion for his fellow human. When something is lost, of course we will look for it until we find it, but is finding self as easy as finding things that are lost? I guess not as simple as that. There are times that we have to give up something for what we think is more special in a way. I salute Siddhartha in this. He has his own personality, his own character. He knows what he wants; he gave up his secured life even if there is no certainty that in the end his choice will be worthwhile. He firmly believes in his decision and took responsibility of it. Maybe, thats our difference. Although I am not sure of what I am now, and Ive wanted to know my true self, I was afraid to do so, and I lack courage to leave the secured life I have now. Through his journey, he met different people who taught him different lessons in life. I too have experienced that. Along the way, I met friends who really care about me and friends who just enjoy being called as one but doesnt act as such. Whether they give us support to do the best and the right thing or not, we can still reflect to them. Every mistakes, there will come a lesson that must be learned. It may be a long way; it may take a lifetime to know what it is inside us, yet that time will surely come. We just dont know when, but it is certain that it will come. Just like Siddhartha, maybe some time, I will have enough courage to go against the safe life I have now and try to go through the dangerous road of searching for my self that will surely taught me the sweetest lessons in life. I will soon look for my own happiness that will complete me as a person identified with my own character.