Assignment Due 2/21

From the last chapter of the book, when Siddharta was the only ferryman by the river,  Siddhartha spoke with great wisdom explaining the  flaws of Govinda's life as a seeker: 

"When someone is seeking,” said Siddartha, “It happens quite easily that he only sees the thing that he is seeking; that he is unable to find anything, unable to absorb anything, because he is only thinking of the thing he is seeking, because he has a goal, because he is obsessed with his goal. Seeking means: to have a goal; but finding means: to be free, to be receptive, to have no goal. You, O worthy one, are perhaps indeed a seeker, for in striving towards your goal, you do not see many things that are under your nose." 

In this passage, Siddhartha is telling his childhood friend, Govinda, the reason why he has not been fulfilled is because he remained a follower  instead of experiencing the world by himself. Govinda decided to gain knowledge from teachings instead of experiences and because of this, his mind and emotions remained closed not being able to become part of the world and see the unity of things. The reason why Siddhartha did not find Nirvana at the beginning of his journey is because he got in his own way by seeking it. He became so focused on his search that his obsession over reaching wisdom  turned into the only obstacle between him and his inner self/goal. One of the lessons Siddhartha's journey offers is that seeking a goal can distract one from finding that goal. This can be a perfect example when one seeks for love. Love, just as wisdom, is not a concept but an action, a manner of living and a capacity. One can't seek for a manner of living because we don't know what we are looking for and so do not see it even if its under our nose. To look for something, its necessary to know what exactly we are looking for. In Siddhartha, Siddhartha spent most of his journey seeking wisdom, a manner of living, when no one can tell you where to find it; it simply comes when you are ready to receive it. This passage can relate to any individual who strives to reach a goal in life and that's why it stands out from the rest. Personally, It is important to have goals in life but there are events beyond a person's control. This is why goals that become obsession do not get fulfilled. When we stop fighting our fate, that's when we either receive what we are seeking for or move onto better things. In Siddhartha's case, he stopped suffering about his failures and finally gained wisdom and became one with the world.