Escapism In Siddhartha
Escapism has existed ever since the hypothalamus developed inside the human brain. Its four functions have kept us alive as a species, managing fight, flight, food, and sex. But when that flight manifests itself in interpersonal relationships, in spirituality, in attempts to avoid the unavoidable, things start to fall apart. In Siddhartha, by Hermann Hess, escapism is just one more untruth for Siddhartha to overcome. After spending many years with his father and the nearby Brahmins, Siddhartha realizes that they cannot teach him anything else. He first joins the Samanas (wandering ascetics who live in the forest) to help kill his ego so he can find his true Self, the Atman within him. They teach him to inhabit all the organisms and objects
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Many a time have I sat quietly in AP Chemistry, daydreaming and mentally absent, effectively escaping the torment of acid-base equilibria*. I’m probably going to pay for that tomorrow during my AP Chem test. Obviously, it’s not a productive skill to have in life. But does something have to be productive to be good? I’m not like Siddhartha. I’m not on a spiritual journey to find permanent peace with Csikszentmihalyi’s flow state**. However, I try to avoid escapism in friendships and meaningful tasks because it isn’t helpful when trying to make real connections. It’s hard. I’d rather watch Netflix than write this essay, but the fact that you are reading this means that I, like Siddhartha, know that escape is not the answer. You have to face things eventually, whether it be an unpleasant talk, a difficult task, or even a fear that has been controlling your life. I have to battle escapism everyday as graduation approaches. Learning to be an adult has a cruel learning curve, and it would be so much easier to turn away from the challenge and stay comfortably within the boundaries of my parents’ care. Instead, I must surpass my metaphorical Samanas and banish escapism to my high school memories. Like Siddhartha, I am not content with my happiness yet. It must come from
Many a time have I sat quietly in AP Chemistry, daydreaming and mentally absent, effectively escaping the torment of acid-base equilibria*. I’m probably going to pay for that tomorrow during my AP Chem test. Obviously, it’s not a productive skill to have in life. But does something have to be productive to be good? I’m not like Siddhartha. I’m not on a spiritual journey to find permanent peace with Csikszentmihalyi’s flow state**. However, I try to avoid escapism in friendships and meaningful tasks because it isn’t helpful when trying to make real connections. It’s hard. I’d rather watch Netflix than write this essay, but the fact that you are reading this means that I, like Siddhartha, know that escape is not the answer. You have to face things eventually, whether it be an unpleasant talk, a difficult task, or even a fear that has been controlling your life. I have to battle escapism everyday as graduation approaches. Learning to be an adult has a cruel learning curve, and it would be so much easier to turn away from the challenge and stay comfortably within the boundaries of my parents’ care. Instead, I must surpass my metaphorical Samanas and banish escapism to my high school memories. Like Siddhartha, I am not content with my happiness yet. It must come from