He was a son, a student, a friend. He was a Samana, an ascetic, he sought to destroy his Self. He was a student, he rejected teachings, he made his own way. He learned love, he was a businessman, he indulged. He was disgusted, he ran away, he tried to destroy himself once more. He found his worth, he was a friend again, he learned from the river. He was a father, he lost his son, he gained wisdom. Yet he cannot share it with Govinda, each time he finds him again.

Why can’t he share it? Siddhartha found personal wisdom, something all his own. His journey brought him to that point, where he now knows his own path and purpose. However, when he tries to tell someone of this wisdom and how he came into it, they are always confused. Perhaps this is a result of his disregard for teachings in general, his feeling that they are not all that helpful in the end, but I believe that it really stems from the fact that no one but Siddhartha himself will ever truly know what he has experienced.

If no one can ever know, then is it really worth it to share it? Siddhartha’s understanding may not be able to be directly translated to anyone, but someone might be able to relate to parts of his story, or learn from his conclusions. They might be helped by listening to him, and maybe he can start them on their own journey, to make their own discoveries. It might not have an impact, but it could, and it’s always worth it to try.

Is his wisdom and understanding futile if he cannot communicate it to others? Siddhartha’s wisdom means something to him. No one may ever quite know what to do with it, but his journey to finding it has shaped his life in so many ways. He is content because he finally understands, and it may have even influenced his opinion on teachings. He could only find his wisdom by treading his own path, so maybe everyone has to have a novelty, an out-of-book journey, something unique to themselves. If everyone can only find their wisdom on their own, wouldn’t his wisdom be useless to most people anyways?