How loud is your EGO?
Ramona Vasile
People First Enthusiast | Senior HR Consultant | HR Strategy & Service Delivery
I am fairly convinced that I have reached a moment in my life where I am increasingly searching for meaning in everything I experience.
Some months ago, I heard Andra Pintican talking about how we live, seemingly unconsciously, in four quadrants: mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual. By understanding where our energy is directed, we also understand what else we need to pay attention to in order to become the best possible humans.
I am constantly craving meaningful interactions, so it only made sense to join a community of women and read "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse together. This was such a great reading, allowing the reader (me, in this case) to feel grounded and gain a sense of connectivity with spirituality.
"Siddhartha" is a novel that tells the story of a man named Siddhartha on a spiritual journey of self-discovery. He begins his journey with the belief that traditional religious teachings and societal norms cannot provide him with the answers he seeks. He chooses to explore alternative paths to enlightenment, such as living as an ascetic, joining a group of wandering monks, and eventually immersing himself in the material world.
The concept that resonated with me is unity and interconnectedness, always living the cyclical nature of life, via rebirth and renewal. Siddhartha experiences moments of despair and self-doubt but ultimately finds peace and enlightenment through acceptance of the present moment and the interconnectedness of all things.
My "aha" moment was when he understood that true wisdom and fulfillment come from within and cannot be found through external validation or conventional means. He mentions his only skills as “I can think. I can wait. I can fast.” Towards his journey, this was, in fact, all he needed to succeed. At the moment when he disconnected from himself, he started living as a “man-child” and feeling dissatisfied with his life.
In the crazy world that we are living in, we need to find the inner strength to pause and ask, “Why am I doing this now? How is this action connecting me back to my values and purpose?”