Journal Entry and a Reflection

Journal  Entry

April 25, 2013

"[Siddhartha has] had to pass through so much foolishness, so much vice,  so much error, so much nausea and disillusionment and wretchedness, merely in order to become a child again and be able to start over" (Hesse 81).

This citation suggests the idea  that one must scrap away all the corruption of one's life to find the truth. One must be literally ignorant and childish in order to learn. This acts as a new beginning from which one can grow. And that new beginning becomes a starting point from which one has a place to push off of.

Siddhartha Chapter Ten Reflection

In this chapter, both the elder and younger Siddharthas are grieving for the death of Kamala. As Siddhartha describes the boy, young Siddhartha "' Indeed...too has a calling; he too will enjoy eternal life. But do we know, you and I, to what has been called: to what path...'" (Hesse 100). This excerpt depicts Siddhartha's  hope for the boy's future. Like any parent, Siddhartha wants what's best for young Siddhartha. One's children are in someways one's future and ultimately one's legacy. Children are the part of one that is left after one's death and therefore very important to one's life and purpose. As Siddhartha continues speaking, the future struggles of young Siddhartha's life are discussed and the possible obstacles are analyzed. Siddhartha's concern for the boy is very evidence as Siddhartha continues to speak."'to what deeds, to what suffering? His sorrow will not be slight, for his heart is proud and hard; those like him must suffer a great deal, commit so many errors, do much wrong, pile much sin upon themselves'" (Hesse 100). Siddhartha then acknowledges the struggles one must face. This protrays the suffering one must endure and overcome in order to succeed in one's purpose in life and obtain knowledge and enlightenment.

Siddhartha Citation and Image Reflection

Reflection

"When a person reads something and wishes to grasp its meaning, he does not scorn the characters and letters and call them illusory, random, and worthless; he reads them, studies them, and loves them, letter for letter" (Hesse 35).

"One, already awakening, already on a path to himself, it had appeared to him only natural, a matter of course, to return to the place of his birth and his father now that his years as an ascetic had ended" (Hesse 36).

"From the moment when the world around him melted away and left him as solitary as a star in the sky, from this moment of cold and despondency, Siddhartha emerged, more firmly Self than before, solidified. This, he felt, had been the final shiver of awakening, the final pangs of birth. And at once began to walk again, striding quickly and impatiently, no longer in the direction of home, no longer towards his father, not longer back" (Hesse 40).

About five years ago, we flew to Dallas in order to say goodbye to my grandma who was dying of a chronic lung disease. When we arrived she was already on a ventilator and unconscious. Me, my brother, and my two cousins were confined to stay at her house alone while the adults went to the hospital. None of us were unable to sleep and it went unspoken that each of us in someway believed that if we didn't see her sick it somehow wasn't true and that she would be OK. 

When I first took care of my neighbor's baby, Palmer, I had a realization. I understood then that I was doing something for someone more than myself. I felt important and needed. This little boy needed me to take care of him. From 1-9 months that's what I did, I took care of him. It was amazing.

  

In seventh grade, I had an idea for a book. I was extremely excited, but what I didn't understand then was how much work would go into the effort. Now, more than three years later, I am still working. My book is evolving and morphing into something more than just writing a story. It has become a large part of my life and a part of who I am. The image below is the title of my book that I've had pretty much from the beginning.