JordanSSB

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= Jordan's Self-Realization Digital Scrapbook = This is the place where I will write about the journey I follow to self-realization. My goal is to gain wisdom and takes steps towards enlightening myself. I will be following the journey of Siddhartha, the title character of Herman Hesse's Siddhartha, as a model for my own journey. The steps I have taken follow.

= With The Samanas =

The Assignment
To get a feeling for how the Samanas, Indian ascetics that are found in the novel Siddhartha, try to reach enlightenment, we gave up something we enjoy for a week. I chose to give up coffee, because it's technically not something I need. Technically.

Getting Started-  I gave up shaving. The first couple days were not that bad because i don't grow facial hair too quickly, If anything all it did was make life easier for me because I could get ready much faster in the mornings and wouldn't have to stress about missing any spots or cutting myself on accident and having to put up with an embarrassing cut on the side of my face for a couple of days. I didn't go through any struggles at first because shaving wasn't necissarily a necessity in my life.

Mid-Week- During the middle of the week shaving still wasn't bothering me, I actually got used to not really shaving and just letting my facial hair grow. I did suffer from some things though. About the fourth day of not shaving I started growing facial hair on my upper lip and I did not like the way it looked. I got self concious and I became a little afraid to go to school because I didn't want people to make fun of the way I looked. I am really self-concious and I DO care what people think of me and how I look to others. Not only was I suffering mentally but I could not bare the annoyance of the scraggly hairs on my face, they were so irratable and the hairs on my lip started poking me during some facial expressions I would use

By The End- About the end of my trial I was starting to get irritated because I did not like the way my facial hair looked on my face, I never wanted to grow it out before and since I haven't grown it long it was just growing into patches and looked very weird to me. The very last days of my challenge were when I quit and failed. I shaved on Halloween October 31st because I couldn't bare my facial hair anymore. Even though I failed on the last couple days of my challenge I didn't let it get me down, So I started no shaving again on the 2nd day of November, which I then found out was nicknamed "No shave November".

Awakening

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**Song:** "Green River" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
I can hear the bull frog callin' me. Wonder if my rope's still hangin' to the tree. Love to kick my feet way down the shallow water, shoe fly, dragon fly, get back t your mother. Pick up a flat rock, skip it across Green River. Up at Cody's camp I spent my days, oh, with flat car riders and cross-tie walkers. Old Cody, Junior took me over, said, you're gonna find the world is smolderin' an' if you get lost come on home to Green River." **"Quote from the text:** "In his heart he heard the newly awakened voice speak, and it said to him: "Love this river, stay by it, learn from it." Yes, he wanted to learn from it, he wanted to listen to it. It seemed to him that whoever understood this river and its secrets, would understand much more, many secrets, all secrets" (101). **Analysis:** Siddhartha makes the river his home. He decides to "stay by it" (Hesse 101) and learn its secrets. Much like the lyrics of the song, it seems like any time Siddhartha "get[s] lost [he] come[s] on home to [the] River" (CCR). The idea of a river being a place of homecoming, spirituality, and growth seems to be a common theme throughout literature and music alike. Perhaps this is because is so fluid - literally and figuratively. It is always in a state of movement, change, and growth. This is especially true for a river, which can even carve stone with its rushing path. Like the river, Siddhartha pushes along to carve his own way to enlightenment. media type="custom" key="24685152"
 * Lyrics:** "Well, take me back down where cool water flow, yeh. Let me remember things I love. Stoppin' at the log where catfish bite, walkin' along the river road at night, barefoot girls dancin' in the moonlight.

Emeli Sand (River)
If you're looking for the big adventure and gold is all that's on your mind If all you want's someone to take your picture then I won't waste your time. See, maybe I'm too quiet for you you probably never noticed me but if you're too big to follow rivers how you ever gonna find the sea? Chorus: so follow me i'll be your river, river I'll do the running for you follow me i'll be your river, river i'll move the mountains for you follow me, i'll be your river, river i'm here to keep you floating follow me i'll be your river river. River, river, yeah If all you want are answers to your questions And you can't seem to find no love for free If you're looking for the right direction Then darling, look for me See, I can make the load much lighter I just need you to confide in me but if you're too proud to follow rivers how you ever gonna find the sea? Chorus: so follow me, i'll be your river, river I'll do the running for you follow me, i'll be your river, river i'll move the mountains for you follow me. i'll be your river, river I'm here to keep you floating follow me i'll be your river, river. River, river, yeah Wherever you're standing, I will be by your side through the good, through the bad, i'll never be hard to find so wherever you're standing I will be by your side through the good, through the bad, i'll never be hard to find Chorus: so follow me, i'll be your river, river I'll do the running for you follow me, i'll be your river, river i'll move the mountains for you follow me. I'll be your river, river I'm here to keep you floating follow me, I'll be your river, river. River, river, yeah Wherever you're standing, I will be by your side Through the good, through the bad, I'll never be hard to find.

Bruce Springsteen – The River Lyrics
media type="custom" key="24685390" I come from down in the valley where mister when you're young They bring you up to do like your daddy done Me and mary we met in high school when she was just seventeen Wed ride out of that valley down to where the fields were green

Wed go down to the river And into the river wed dive Oh down to the river wed ride

Then I got mary pregnant and man that was all she wrote And for my nineteen birthday I got a union card and a wedding coat We went down to the courthouse and the judge put it all to rest No wedding day smiles no walk down the aisle No flowers no wedding dress That night we went down to the river And into the river wed dive On down to the river we did ride

I got a job working construction for the johnstown company But lately there aint been much work on account of the economy Now all them things that seemed so important Well mister they vanished right into the air Now I just act like I don't remember, mary acts like she don't care But I remember us riding in my brothers car Her body tan and wet down at the reservoir At night on them banks I'd lie awake And pull her close just to feel each breath she'd take Now those memories come back to haunt me, they haunt me like a curse Is a dream a lie if it don't come true Or is it something worse that sends me Down to the river though I know the river is dry Down to the river, my baby and i Oh down to the river we ride =Om=

The Big Ideas / Literary Analysis
Topics to be announced.

=Works Cited= Hesse, Herman. //Siddhartha//. New York: Bantam, 1971.