Siddhartha Blogging Assignment

          Siddhartha learns many valuable lessons about himself and the people he meets throughout his lifetime.  Siddhartha has moved from place to place learning these lessons, and i think that Siddhartha learns the most from the people he meets when he least expects it.  I believe that throughout the book, Siddhartha learns the most from his friend, Govinda.  Siddhartha learns with Govinda that you should do what you feel is the right choice for you, even if your closest family or friends say you are wrong or disagree with you.  For instance, "Siddhartha placed his hand on Govinda's shoulder.  'You have heard my blessing, Govinda.  I repeat it.  May you travel this path to the end.  May you find salvation!'"(30).  This shows that Siddhartha has found what he was looking for by himself, with nobody else's concern.  Now he tells Govinda that he should do the same and look for something to satisfy what he seeks.  An example in my life or other peoples would be that if your parents don't want you to stay up late doing homework, but you have homework that you didn't finish and is worth lots of points, you ignore what they say, and finish the homework.  Overall, you could be tired the next day, but it was worth it because you got the assignment done and completed.

          Also, Siddhartha learns from his friend, Govinda, to look at the world in a different way other than Govinda might see it to be, in order to become a happy person and achieve enlightenment.  What I mean, is that Siddhartha imagines what the world looks like in Govinda's perspective, and thinks what life would be like if people with goods and valuable possesions are doomed, and the only way to achieve enlightenment is through nirvana.  After experiencing what the world looked like to Govinda, Siddhartha tries to look at the world in a different way, and enjoys it very much and becomes happy.  For example, "He bowed low, right down to the ground, in front of the man sitting there motionless, whose smile reminded him of everything that he had ever loved in his life, of everything that had ever been of value and holy in his life."(151-152).  This quote shows that Siddhartha and Govinda remember every little thought of good and happiness from their lives.  Therefore, they both have achieved enlightenment together.  They thought and meditated together in order to get there, in a happy and peaceful state of mind.  In my life and for other people too, sometimes you have to convince your friends to do something different, or look at it in a different way.  This can sometimes relieve stress or make them happy in some cases.  For example, if there is a project due in 1 day and you want to hang out with friends over the weekend, split the project up and get it done piece by piece rather than in one sitting, which makes the project look simpler to do.