OPTIMISM AND INITIATIVE

This class is a pilgrimage with no foreseeable path. With no definite end. It is a journey that despite having marked stops, assignments, goals, and activities, constantly changes and is unexpected. At times we may resent this journey, we may not see the necessity of what we are doing. But until the end, until we have truly hammered these thoughts, these days, these discussions into unity, we won’t really know what we’ve gotten. This is the biggest and most significant similarity I see with Siddhartha. We are here to engage in an “independent inquiry,” although it is guided we are encouraged “to think for [ourselves], decreasing reliance on secondary sources, practicing what is known as active, experiential or discovery learning.” This is the only way to reach our destination and to answer the question “who are you?” Just as Siddhartha had to go through years of experience to learn that he could not be taught, we are being taught that experience is the only way to learn. In Siddhartha’s case, “no teacher would have ever been able to bring about his salvation (94),” and it’s the same here, we can really only get out of this class what we put in. So it is in college and in life.

We may get unruly in our attempts to

shape our own education.

source: http://bumataystudio.com/cc/class08.jpg

To get the most out of anything we must learn “how to maintain a pro-active, positive attitude.” Siddhartha is a great example of this. Even though he reached his lowest possible point, at the brink of ending everything, he was able to come back out of it with an even more positive outlook than before. This teaches us that we’re only at the beginning of our journey and can’t go forward in constant fear of failure, because such failures are inevitable in life, and are only opportunities to grow. We can help ourselves by remembering the power of love vs. fear, which is a theme of this course. Hopefully we can come to a place where we are “only interested in being able to love the world (137),” for we will never be able to change it unless we first accept it for what it is.

Both of these things play into our leadership essay. A leader must be a self-propelled learner and an optimist. We must learn “by creativity rather than going through the motions, by curiosity rather than compulsion” if we wish to be leaders in any field. I personally feel that leadership comes from having creative solutions to problems and being willing to take risks to let those solutions come into reality. Siddhartha displays this trait of a leader completely. He is never satisfied with pre-existing knowledge; he must solve the problems of his identity and of the universe through his own methods.

Another theme in Siddhartha pertaining to leadership, especially option two of our essay, is the importance of listening, also one of the course goals. Vasudeva represents this trait in the book, and we, just as Siddhartha did, can learn a lot by his example - “without him saying a word, the speaker could sense how Vasudeva let words enter his mind, how he was quiet, open, and waiting, and how he did not lose a single word by impatience (98).” The ability to listen is a key factor in “the composition of self, the construction of character” that we must pursue in order to become better leaders for the benefit of society.

We can learn a lot about leadership by listening.

source: http://wheredothechildrenplayla.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/listening-to-nature.jpg

One of the most intriguing aspects of essay four is the consideration that “the trait, role, or goal you are discussing is but one of many possibilities radiating out from your center, from the core of your being.” This was one of the ideas that resonated most fully for me in Siddhartha and which gives me much optimism as to developing future goals and plans. As someone who changes her path constantly, I like the idea of infinite potential.