arting anew is present in both of my experiences. The anxiety associated with switching to high school was compounded with the even worse anxiety of having to meet all new people and make new friends. My second experience, going away to college, also contains the anxiety of leaving old friends and starting out somewhat on my own. These two decisions were crises because I was fearful and felt great amounts of anxiety, as I believe Siddhartha must have when he chose to be a Samana. Once I made these choices, I knew I should go through with them and that they would be beneficial. I think Siddhartha realized this same thing about his choice. Both of these experiences contain the second element of Siddhartha’s crisis. The two decisions were made with the intent of bettering and finding myself. I knew a quality education is one of the best ways to better oneself. I am in that process right now, but it seems to have been the right decision. I believe I have been semi-successful at finding myself thus far in my life. Crises like leaving a comfort zone and making all new friends have required me to find who I am and what I am like. This is required in order to make friends with people who please me and to reestablish a comfort zone. In conclusion, by analyzing Siddhartha’s crisis and determining the elements present in it, I have been able to see how two experiences of my own were also beneficial crises and not just isolated unpleasant times of my life. ...
