Om: Sounds of Peace and Meditation

       In the chapter "Om," Siddhartha has awakened, and reached the highest state of enlightenment after understanding the meaning of Om. One day, he looked into the river, and the water laughed at him for letting the wound hut him so deeply. He realised that life has an inevitable flow, like a river. He understood that some sorrows in life cannot be prevented and will pass throughout time. He told Vasudeva of his feelings, and they sat on the bank. Then, he heard voices of joy and sorrow, pleasure, good and evil, and laughter, but did not let himself be caught up by any single voice and heard only the word Om. When he finally understood Om and that all things exist at the same moment, and time is meaningless, he no longer doubted his place in the world and stopped battling his fate, instead his eyes glowed with serenity of knowledge. 

     

       The word "Om" was defined on page 111, which states: "When Siddhartha listened attentively to this river, to this song of a thousand voices; when he did not listen to the sorrow or laughter, when he did not bind his soul to any one particular voice and absorb it in his Self, but heard them all, the whole, the unity; then the great song of a thousand voices consisted of one word: Om-perfection." Siddhartha stated that Om was all the different emotions, pleasure, goals, yearnings, sorrows, and voices interwoven and interlocked. All of them together formed the world. Through suffering, he found unity among his roles as father, traveler, and son, and we know that Siddhartha has finally achieved enlightenment. 

       After I read this chapter, I thought about how the unity of my different experiences has formed my true 'self'. In school, I am a student, who has the responsibility to learn and work hard. In my house, as a daughter and a sister, I have to obey my parents and take care of my brother. In the past, when I was a young child, I had the right to receive support and care form my parents, but when I grow up, I would have the duty to pay bills and take care of my children. My different emotions, goals, and perspectives of life would also unite to form Om, which is my true 'self'.

Technology Taking Over: Letter to the Editor of "Surviving the Electronic Pull"

Dear Editor,

      The article “Surviving the Electronic Pull” included a significant point: Technology is taking over our lives and we have become overly dependent on it. Although the temptation is hard to resist, it is not impossible. I agree with the author's point because the distraction presented by technology is a powerful force in my daily life.
     According to the article, the electronic "pull" exists everywhere and constantly tempts us. It is present while we're texting, while we're communicating with our friends, while we're watching the TV, or while we're playing a game. This issue is extremely serious, and everyone seems to be affected by it. We do not know how the world would be in the future generation as technology continues to develop, but we can also stop this pull. For example, the author has kept a time limit and made a solution called "police standing." We have to face this serious issue and control this temptation.
     In paragraph 2, this article states: "This 'pull' is omnipresent, It exists wherever you go. In a restaurant, a TV screen might catch your attention and you'll become deaf to the outside world." This quote made me think of my daily life. When I listen to my iPod or text anyone with my phone, I become separated from the real world. I can't deny the fact that when I get focused on technology, I am cut off from personal interactions and I hardly communicate face-to-face.
    The author also worries about what we will become: "If this is what the older generations are, just imagine a generation that was born with this 'electronic pull'. Will we text ourselves even when standing beside one another? Will it be offensive to speak directly to someone?" Yes, this quote affected me profoundly. I'm very curious of how the future would be like, because I believe we already have enough technology that serves all of our purposes. In my opinion, we could soon reach a stage where the standard of social interaction could change dramatically, and most of our communication would be done through technology.
    Five years ago, I had to hand in all of my work through hand-written paper, and access to online grades was rare. I hadn't heard of social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter, and I remember the iPhone 1 was the most enthralling technological device I've ever encountered. Now, I'm actually writing my essay in my blog, and 80% of my homework is done through technology. Once an hour, I check Facebook and my phone, which distracts me while I'm doing my homework. Although I try to restrain myself from all the technological marvels, I feel the risk of being socially isolated or being disconnected by communicating and engaging in the real world.
       "Surviving this pull, this temptation, is easier than you might think. You must continuously object to these waves that screens send. Keeping to your time limits and goals also works. You must be strict with yourself," states the author. If we do not face the reality, we would be the ones who get controlled. We have to block these distractions and temptations, and find solutions to resist from this pull. 

Sincerely,
Sarah Kim

Elie Wiesel And Siddhartha's Resemblance

       In the Chapter "Kamala," when Siddhartha had crossed the river with a ferryman's help, he was heading to a new way of life. Throughout the 20 years while he lived in Kamaswami's house, he had rejected asceticism, and experienced pleasures in the material world. As he gained material power, his spiritual power declined, until Siddhartha could no longer hear his inner voice, and his spiritual roots were now a memory.When he realized that he had been playing the game of Samsara (the cyclical path of normal life in which one lives, sufferes, and dies), he decided not to play it forever. On page 68, Siddhartha said, "This game was called Samsara, a game for children, a game which was perhaps enjoyable played once, twice, ten times- but was it worth playing continually?" 

     Siddhartha went back to the river he had crossed with the ferryman before, and decided to move forward with this search for enlightenment. According to page 82, Siddhartha said, "My path once led from his hut to a new life which is now old and dead. May my present path, my new life, start from there!" The river is a very important, figurative symbol in Siddhartha. According to the principles of Heraclitus, the symbol of flowing water in the river means passing time, and our true "self" are the elements that remain the same despite the changing aspects on one's experience. On page 83, the author includes Heraclitus' ideas by saying, "He saw that the water continually flowed and flowed and yet it was always there; it was always the same and yet every moment it was new." The elements of Siddhartha, or his true "self," were his desire to seek asceticism. 

     Elie Wiesel is also considered as a hero by many readers of Night, because he was very brave throughout his experience in concentration camps, in such a dark time in the history of our world. Heraclitus' beliefs are also expressed in Night. Throughout the horrible times, Elie Wiesel had lost his faith in God and the souls of men, but the hope, faith, and belief that he could survive the Holocaust kept him alive. He stated that he sees a "corpse" looking back at him, but the look in his eyes has never left him. This suggests that he thinks of himself as a totally different person who undergoes metamorphosis after all he had suffered. He lost numerous aspects of his life like his family, his innocence, and his physical health. However, the look in his eyes has not escaped, and this means that he was still a great believer of humanity, and he never lost hope and faith. Although his faith in God begin to dwindle, he never lost faith in himself, and that would be the true "self" of Elie Wiesel.

Siddhartha in Mala's World

          Siddhartha eventually fell under the spell of possessions and became successful, like Kamaswami. He began to look and act like a wealthy merchant, however his spiritual voice has died. He retreated to a pleasure garden to meditate, and realized that his life as a rich businessman has produced nothing. His relationship with Kamala gave him pleasure, but he knew it cannot continue forever. He knew he has been playing the game of Samsara, and decided to leave the city without informing anybody.

Samsara (noun): Samsara is the cyclical path of normal life in which one lives, suffers, and dies.
(Page 68, "No. This game was called Samsara, a game for children, a game which was perhaps enjoyable played once, twice, ten times-but was it worth playing continually?")

Potter's wheel (noun): A Potter's wheel is a machine used in the shaping of round ceramic ware.
(Page 61, "Just as the potter's wheel, once set in motion, still turns for a long time and then turns only very slowly and stops, so did the wheel of the ascetic, the wheel of thinking, the wheel of discrimination...")

Inertia (Noun): Inertia is a tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged. 

  (Page61, "....so did the world and inertia creep into Siddhartha's soul; it slowly filled his soul, made it heavy, made it tired, sent it to sleep.")

Imperceptible (adjective): Imperceptible means impossible to recognize or be aware of.

(Page 62, "But slowly and almost imperceptibly, with the passing of the seasons, his mockery and feeling of superiority diminished.")

Covetous (adjective): Being covetous is to have or show great desire to possess something, typically something belonging to someone else.

(Page 63, "The world had caught him; pleasure, covetousness, idleness, and finally also that vice that he had always despised and scorned as the most foolish-acquisitiveness.")

Idle (adjective): To be idle is not being active.

(Page 63, "The world had caught him; pleasure, covetousness, idleness, and finally also that vice that he had always despised and scorned as the most foolish-acquisitiveness.")

Acquisitive (adjective): To be acquisitive is to be excessively interested in acquiring money or material things.

(Page 63, "The world had caught him; pleasure, covetousness, idleness, and finally also that vice that he had always despised and scorned as the most foolish-acquisitiveness.")