March On, you Neverending Soldier

 I’ve understood more and more about life since high school started. In a way, it’s like I’m searching for lessons to learn. Siddartha, being our latest book, taught me my latest lessons, or lack thereof. 

No matter how egotistical young Siddhartha was, he was right in one aspect. There is no such thing as knowledge. He was right about that from the very beginning, and his own life proved so. He kept learning the same lessons and over again, in different methods. There’s a quote that resonated with me on this very topic. It goes something like: 

“There are three ways to gain wisdom:

Imitation is the easiest

Reflection is the noblest

Experience is the bitterest”

Everyday I wonder what wisdom is like, and if it even exists. I’m sure most of my classmates feel the same way, but life makes you feel like you’re failing to be the main character. Every chance at feeling superior about your capabilities is struck down, as you watch someone who you wouldn’t have even thought of as extraordinary do something extraordinary. My imitation of great wisdom has led me to experiencing great failings, and so I have had to greatly reflect on my own capabilities. 

Don’t let this pseudo-philosophical tone fool you. It means nothing. The last bit of high school reflection I’ve come to is that ultimately, wisdom(or self-enlightenment) doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. If wisdom is capable of creating hubris in a person, then it wasn’t wisdom to begin with.

Life is a never ending journey of all three ways to gain wisdom. Do them, or don’t, it doesn’t matter. There's beauty in ignorance, in the same way there’s beauty in awakening, and it would be unfair to say ignorance isn’t equivalent to awakening for that reason. 

All humans can do is what those have done before us. We tread the tired path of David and Goliath; we make our name David even if it isn't David, and we create mountains out of molehills. There’s nothing wrong with that. Life is defined by failures of attempting to gain wisdom. I feel like the ultimate lesson of high school is that don’t let the lack(or presence) of awakening scare you. Such is life, and every human feels a visceral connection to your path. Just keep marching, and as Abigail Adams said, “Nature has not been deficient.”