joy versus bliss

[kate]

When I finished Siddhartha in partial completion of my 12th grade summer reading, I was, like most of the people I know who have read it, humbled and inspired by the simplicity and profundity of Hesse's messages. I longed to live free of the cluttered and confusing "Samsara." However, the more I consider the end of the story, the more pity I feel for Siddhartha. He has achieved enlightenment and has divorced himself from a state of desire, but in doing so he has lost his humanity. There is no longer any purpose to his life. There is not need for grief, and no need for joy. <br> Joy is volatile and impermanent, while bliss is eternal. But is not joy, therefore, better suited to life, which is also impermanent, while bliss befits that which came before and that which is to come after?<br> For those who, like me, are ambivalent about joy and bliss: if you want to further muddle your views, read "Happiness" by Will Ferguson.

[efi]

I agree with the idea that joy is more important in life than finding perfect bliss or "Nirvana". The point of being human is to experience everything in life which includes happiness, sorrow, suffering, and love. Once Siddhartha gave up his joy to achieve perfect truth, he lost what it means to be human. However, unlike the author of this post, I don't really pity Siddhartha. It was his decision to find what he truly desired and spent his entire life searching for his true "Self". I believe it his better to live in a state of Samsara, because I think that one should be focused on the life they are living now, rather than focusing solely on life after death.