Book Review: Siddhartha

Herman Hesse's Siddhartha is a story of exploration into what it means to be alive.  The book articulates the complexities of life while, at the same time, showcasing the beauty of life's simplicity. Quite the paradox indeed. This book is about the journey. How one man comes to find his way in the world.

Siddhartha was written during the end of the World War One era and published in 1922. It seems to encapsulate the spiritual notions of the time. A move away from the dichotomous nature of religion of the 19th Century and an embrace of the spirituality associated with Buddhism. Hesse's work chronicles the journey of a boy named Siddhartha who is a seeker of the truths of life.

Siddhartha does not, or maybe more amply put , cannot, accept the teachings of others. He is clever, kind, and patient. A man who is liked by all that come into contact with him. In many ways he is a prodigy, and things come quite easy to him. This in turn leads to his curiousity. His way must be different from others, because it is "his" way. Even in the presence of enlighted ones, like Buddha himself, Siddhartha is not swayed from his desire to experience the world on his own path.

His life takes him down many paths. He learns to "Think, Fast, and Wait". While these do not seem like amazing traits they give him the ability to let the world happen around him. He does not force the world to do his will, but he makes it possible for the world around him to present what he wants in front of him. Siddhartha has the unique ability to put himself in the right circumstance.

The book is a great depiction of a life. We often arrive at some point in our own lives and wonder how exactly we got to this point for good or for bad. Siddhartha shows that the chain of events in our lives is logical but inherently crazy. Flux is the only constant.

"What is a treasure and wisdom for one man always sounds like foolishness to another."

The message of Siddhartha is that every individual must choose their own path. It is experience that makes wisdom. Failure is another good way to put it, but through failure comes wisdom.

"When someone seeks then it happens all too easily that his eyes will see only the thing he is seeking, that he cannot find anything, cannot let anything in, because he is always thinking only of that thing he seeks, becausehe has a goal, because he is possessed by the goal. Seeking means having a goal. But finding means: being free, being open, having no goal. One may indeed be a seeker, for, striving toward your goal, there is much you do not see which is right before your eyes."