Finding Self: An Unfolding Journey in Adulthood

People “find themselves” in many different ways. College, or moving out is one way our culture takes the next step into adulthood. We usually use this time to find our self and create the life we want. Some people have taken that to the next step by walking a thousand miles to find themselves or even moving to a different country to seclude themselves for a while. I have not found myself. I am going to college in hopes that I find myself one day. Being in the dark and confused can be scary. I can relate to Siddhartha in this way. He felt the need to leave his father, rebel against him, to find his purpose in life. Siddhartha’s culture was one that looked down upon his decision. So leaving his father was a hard decision to make and follow through with. His father was very disappointed and did not approve of him leaving at all. In my culture, leaving at the age of 18 is the social norm. But what is the same is that families, or fathers, do still want their children to go in a certain direction. They hoped that through their teachings that they would choose a successful path. Most of the time, their family is their backbone and will support you if things get hard. So, in Craig Martin’s A Critical Introduction to the Study of Religion, it talks about how a social authority in our life is made an authority from the people it benefits

There may be pain and suffering but good things will come if you can persevere. A life is not defined from one action but rather from a combination of experience, trial, and failures. This read was very interesting and I would recommend it to anyone, especially to those who can relate to going through trials at this point in their life. Completing your journey is a very important step in your life. Siddhartha achieved his goal to find peace in his life, a goal all of us hope to achieve one