“Wisdom cannot be imparted. Wisdom that a wise man attempts to impart always sounds like foolishness to someone else … Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it.”
― Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha
I can’t remember much of Herman Hesse’s “Siddhartha” as many moons have passed since I first read it. What has stayed with me over the years is the concept of many paths, as opposed to the right way, in reaching our destination.
Siddartha and his childhood friend Govinda go on a pilgrimage, denouncing their lives to seek enlightenment. Their joint adventure eventually leads them to different avenues and experiences: Govinda follows more of a traditional life of abstinence, austerity, celibacy, and meditation. Siddartha deviates to a more unconventional path filled with mental, emotional, and physical indulges of the ego. Toward the end of the book, Siddartha summaries his journey as follows:
“I have had many teachers… A beautiful courtesan has been my teacher for a long time, and a rich merchant was my teacher, and some gamblers with dice. Once, even a follower of Buddha, traveling on foot, has been my teacher; he sat with me when I had fallen asleep in the forest, on the pilgrimage. I’ve also learned from him, I’m also grateful to him, very grateful. But most of all, I have learned here from this river..”
In the end, after their own hardships and struggles, the two find enlightenment.
Like Siddhartha, Govinda, and the rest of us, we all have our journeys to follow; there is no one path that is right for all of us. We all have to experience our crossroads. Sometimes that may mean hitting rock bottom, crawling through the muck, and finding ourselves not liking where we are leading.
My coffee companion for Coffee with John #121 finds himself on his path dealing with grief after losing his fiancé ten days after her cancer diagnosis in 2019. Mat’s experience has not been without its challenges and setbacks but today that journey has led him to create the Tampa, Florida-based company, Monkey Cult Coffee – a flavor coffee company using high-altitude Brazilian beans and specialized infusion techniques to bring one-of-a-kind flavored coffees. With other flavors in development, their signature flavor is bourbon chocolate chip. In honor of Matt’s fiancé, Monkey Cult Coffee donates a portion of its sales to National Pediatric Cancer Foundation.
I don’t endorse products or make any recommendations but I got to say that I enjoyed Matt’s coffee while we shared our similar stories, yet different paths dealing with loss.
I have no wisdom to impart or lesson to teach. All I can say is that no matter the path we find ourselves on, we are not alone. And, perhaps, like Matt, as we find our own way through the muck, we may even find a way to turn our experiences into something positive, creating connections, and benefiting and bringing joy to others.
Coffee With John 