Striving to Be Ordinary As a child, Hermann Hesse's "Demian" was a beautifully enchanting novel that exuded an inexplicable magic. I became so immersed in Hesse's writing that I indulged in almost all of his works. I use the word "indulged" because it's more accurate to say I was paralyzed, unable to properly grasp his intentions. Years later, rereading his works, I was surprised to find a completely different world unfolding. It was shocking to realize that Demian was another self of Sinclair. Hesse's soul is like Demian's clear spirit and Sinclair's mature, intellectual root. "If you seek happiness, you cannot be happy, and if you seek the meaning of life, you cannot live." I couldn't understand what Hesse meant by this at all. However, after quite some time and experiencing various parts of the world, I'm grateful and proud that I can now somewhat empathize with this statement. Happiness cannot be the purpose; life is s...

  "To God, Everything is Perfect" These days, watching the news makes me want to lash out at the world. 'Who's criticizing whom?' 'It's full of sociopaths' 'There's no conscience' Heraclitus, who lived around 540 BC, contemporaneous with Buddha. He's famous for an anecdote where, while walking and looking at the sky to understand the universe's principles, he fell into a stream and was shamed by an old woman saying, "How can you know about heavenly matters when you can't even see what's at your feet?" His immortal quote: "To God, everything is perfect." -Heraclitus - Heraclitus said that good and evil, light and darkness, imperfection and perfection - all these were created by God. To God, everything is beautiful, just, and good. He said there's always a reason, and nothing is lacking or excessive. If all this is created by God, it should be perfect. If it's created by God, there shouldn't be ...