. . he felt no contentment, he obtained no relief, like a lion pierced deeply in the heart by a poisoned arrow. (555)Contentment and quiet acceptance are the biggest obstacle to action. To do nothing brings no happiness to anyone; therefore anxiety and grief are essential in propelling the prince towards seeking personal fulfillment in this world. Although he realizes that some facts of life are indeed inevitable, he remains unable to simply accept the world as it is:A wretched thing it is indeed that, who is himself helpless and subject to the law of old age, disease and destruction, should in his ignorance and the blindness of his conceit, pay no heed to another who is the victim of old age, disease or death. For if I, who am myself such, should pay no heed to another whose nature is equally such, it would not be right or fitting in me, who have knowledge of this, the ultimate laws. He can never again quietly retreat to the undisturbed comfort, peace and luxury of the palace. In fact, his new experiences and insight into reality change his very definition of "comfort" and "peace" and he sets out to find happiness through spiritual fulfillment and leaves the palace. In accordance with Confucius' statement, the prince, like water, could not be held and confined indefinitely. Once on the move, he kept moving away from the palace, like the water with its stream irreversible. The more he knew, the more he wanted to know, and the less he understood. His quest for knowledge led him out of the quietness of the palace and his deep drive to seek answers and changes sent him off in pursuit of his happiness. Judit BodorENG. 2653World Lit. I.WisdomConfucius said: " The knowing enjoy water, the humane enjoy mountains. The knowing are diligent; the humane are quiet. The knowing are happy, the humane are long-lived."(611) Water is vital to existence and is moving streaming and flowing away from the mountains, across all terrain. Mountain...
