Siddharta - by Hermann Hesse

This was incredibly inspiring. A journey of self-discovery and a mild introduction to eastern philosophy. Moreover, it’s a beautifully phrased, entertaining prose.

Siddharta starts out strongly. He’s confident and seemingly incredibly wise for his age. While he’s born in the highest rank of India’s social caste and already in a culture of devotion to the mind and body — which makes him seem like he’s already set up to be the spiritual compass of the story — he’s also rebellious of them. He wants something else. He’s a seeker.

This takes him on a journey of exploration and discovery of desires and vices of what’s referred to as the “child people”; experiencing abandonment, lust, wealth, greed or by ceding to the often irrational, instinctive feelings that would come from parenthood. He meets and learns from multiple characters that shape him and who are shaped by him.

One of my favourite lessons comes from his meeting with Kamala, in a period when learning the art of love. She asks him: “What skills do you have?”. Siddharta, who’s never done skilled labor, replies: “I can fast, I can wait and I can think”. While seemingly worthless in a world that values status, wealth and material possessions, Siddharta’s self-discipline, patience and wisdom grant him they keys to open all doors to achieving his goals.

“You see, Kamala, when you throw a stone into the water, it hurries by the swiftest possible path to the bottom. It is like this when Siddhartha has a goal, a resolve. He does nothing — he waits, he thinks, he fasts — but he passes through the things of this world like a stone through water, without doing anything, without moving; he is drawn and lets himself fall”.