Change In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha

Change is always inevitable. It will always happen whether people like it or not. However, many people are then faced with a momentous decision, should they accept, reject, or ignore change. Although rejecting and ignoring change might help in the short term, people should accept change because it brings them to happiness and a peace of mind, as demonstrated by Siddhartha’s journey to enlightenment in Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha.

When Siddhartha accepted change, it allowed him to regain his happiness and restart his progress towards enlightenment. Born into a wealthy Brahmin family, Siddhartha decides to leave his luxurious life in order to find enlightenment. He wanders for many years, eventually settling with Vasudeva, a boatman who lives

When Siddhartha worked and lived with Vasudeva, he often remembers regrets and mishaps years before. He especially remembers a previous suicide attempt before he came to Vasudeva. When Siddhartha tells Vasudeva about his regrets, Vasudeva responds by telling him to forget about the past and to accept his new life. Siddhartha was initially unsure about this. However, when Siddhartha did accept his new life, his mind suddenly becomes empty of negative thoughts. Siddhartha then realize that there is no time, and that life is just one big day. Siddhartha instantly becomes enlightened, and at peace. Accepting change will not only bring peace towards one’s mind, but also wisdom and enlightenment. Many people struggle with forgetting their memories because it represents lessons and values that they learn from it. However, if they learn to disremember their previous encounters and thoughts and accept their present state, they will become at peace with their current state and gain wisdom. Siddhartha was initially reluctant to let go of his past. They consist of family, his experience, and his suffering. However, Siddhartha needed to accept change in order to gain enlightenment and wisdom from Vasudeva. Without acceptance, Siddhartha might have never gained the momentum needed to achieve enlightenment.

Accepting change will bring happiness and peace to many people. As with Siddhartha, change will cleanse people of negative thoughts, replacing it with tolerance and acceptance. With Siddhartha’s acceptance and achievement, he could now spread his knowledge throughout the world, and convince others to accept their present lives