I just read Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha a day or two ago. Granted, I was half skimming the last chapter, which was probably one of the more important parts. For some reason, I found the development and growth of the main character weaker in this book than the other’s I’ve read.
Of all his books, his characters go through some sort of personal development, and sometimes it’s does not create a major change. In all but Steppenwolf, the characters travel and experience the world, sort of losing themselves to whatever situations they find themselves in, but they end up different. It’s hard for me to describe, but I feel like I should go on a journey like this.
Siddhartha is most recent in my memory, but the part where he is working in business resonated with me. He did not care that he lost money or was scammed, his present experience was best. A failed business trip where he did not make a sale was not a failure, because he met a lot of people, attended a wedding, made friends, etc. “…But instead I had good days, I learned things, I experienced joy, I harmed neither myself nor others with anger or haste.” Can we adopt this sort of worldview in the today’s world? It’s hard for me to imagine that missing an opportunity will be anything but harmful at the very least.
