"We are not going in circles, we are going upwards. The path is a spiral, we have already climbed many steps."
- Herman Hesse
Hesse describes life in an optimistic way, stating that it is a growing, ascending concept. This quote of his expresses his belief that we are not "going in circles"* - instead we are progressing, developing and evolving. He believes that life in general is a spiral staircase, every step and rise pulling us closer to our person goals, whatever that may be.
For Siddhartha, the thing waiting for him at the top of the staircase was Nirvana. Throughout the book you see him experience and sacrifice all sorts of things to climb the staircase and reach the top. For me, that goal at the top of the staircase is understanding; comprehending both major concepts** and small details that make life worth living. For every blunder and mistake I make, I feel i had climbed a step because I learned something, absorbed something new. Experiences, both good and bad, are the handrails that support me to the top. Life teaches me about itself through experiences, and I want to take those to climb the staircase - because although I "have already climbed many steps", I'm not at the top yet.
Aimee Watts (Nov 6th 2012.)
*Going in circles = repeating ourselves, remaining stagnant, never making progress, never improving or developing.
** Major Concepts = Ideas beyond factual description, like friendship, independence, forgiveness, love or hope.
For Siddhartha, the thing waiting for him at the top of the staircase was Nirvana. Throughout the book you see him experience and sacrifice all sorts of things to climb the staircase and reach the top. For me, that goal at the top of the staircase is understanding; comprehending both major concepts** and small details that make life worth living. For every blunder and mistake I make, I feel i had climbed a step because I learned something, absorbed something new. Experiences, both good and bad, are the handrails that support me to the top. Life teaches me about itself through experiences, and I want to take those to climb the staircase - because although I "have already climbed many steps", I'm not at the top yet.
Aimee Watts (Nov 6th 2012.)
*Going in circles = repeating ourselves, remaining stagnant, never making progress, never improving or developing.
** Major Concepts = Ideas beyond factual description, like friendship, independence, forgiveness, love or hope.