When Siddhartha decides to be a Samana, Siddhartha's father opposes strongly. The Brahmin says "'And would you rather die than obey your father?'...Then the father realized that Siddhartha could no longer remain with him at home-that he had already left him" (Hesse 12). The father knows being a Samana is very hard and maybe he will never see his son again. Siddhartha breaks his father's heart. It proves Siddhartha's selfishness of not caring about his parents. However from this experience Siddhartha is able relate to his father. When Siddhartha meets his own son, he says "'I have often thought about it. But how will he, who is so hard-hearted, go on in this world? Will he not consider himself superior, will he not lose himself in pleasure and power, will he not repeat all his father's mistakes, will he not perhaps be quite lost in Samsara?'" (Hesse 120). By loving his son and being a parent, Siddhartha understands what his father felt when Siddhartha left. Also when the son leaves the hut and Siddhartha tries to follow him, Vasudeva says "'But let him, my friend, he is not a child any more, he knows how to look after himself. He is seeking the way to the town and he is right. Do not forget that. He is doing what you yourself have neglected to do. He is looking after himself; he is going his own way'"(Hesse 124). Vasudeva points out that Siddhartha's son is doing the same thing as Siddhartha did to his father. Although both Siddhartha and Siddhartha's father care and worry about their sons, they try to protect their offspring in their own ways which the sons might not agree with. Therefore, although breaking the Brahmin's heart isn't a great act, since it helps Siddhartha understand his father at last, the experience is necessary.
Moreover, ignorantly, Siddhartha in the beginning believes that he has no more to learn from anyone. He says to Govinda "'...that one can learn nothing. There is, so I believe, in the essence of everything, something that we cannot call learning. There is, my friend, only a knowledge-that is everywhere, that is Atman, that is in me and you and in every creature, and I am beginning to believe that this knowledge has no worse enemy that the man of knowledge, than learning'" (Hesse 19). Although Siddhartha's claim is partly true, Siddhartha blinds himself by shutting his mind from any other opinions. Siddhartha tries to learn nothing more from the Samanas and even from the Buddha. When Govinda brings Siddhartha to the Buddha, Siddhartha thinks "He [Siddhartha] was not very curious about the teachings. He did not think they would teach him anything new" (Hesse 28). Although Siddhartha never heard from Buddha before, Siddhartha ignorantly assumes that he will learn nothing new. However at the end of the novel, when Siddhartha talks to Govinda, Siddhartha says "', [I] had many teachers. A beautiful courtesan was my teacher for a long time, and a rich merchant and a dice player. On one occasion, one of the Buddha's wandering monks was my teacher...But most of all, I have learned from the river and from my predecessor, Vasudeva'" (Hesse 142). Siddhartha, who has reached the enlightenment, humbly says that he learned from so many people including Govinda who hasn't reached enlightenment yet. Siddhartha learns that the knowledge and experience he has wouldn't have been possible without the help of his teachers. Although Siddhartha's ignorance blinds him at first, since it helps him realize that who he is now is an outcome of his surroundings, the experience is valuable.
Furthermore, Siddhartha believes he cannot love anyone so passionately. When Kamala asks if he loves her, Siddhartha says "'I am like you. You cannot love either, otherwise how could you practice love as an art? Perhaps people like us cannot love. Ordinary people can-that is their secret'" (Hesse 73). In the quote, not only Siddhartha states he and Kamala can't love, Siddhartha also distinguishes him from the "Ordinary" people. Siddhartha implies that since he is better than the ordinary people, he does not do such a childish act, to love. However Siddhartha changes after he meets his son. Siddhartha quotes ", Siddhartha began to realize that no happiness and peace had come to him with his son, only sorrow and trouble. But he loved him and preferred the sorrow and trouble of his lobe rather than happiness and pleasure without the boy" (Hesse 118). Being a parent of the boy, Siddhartha experiences love so passionate that he loves not himself more than the boy. The love helps Siddhartha connect to the world. Siddhartha quotes "So childish and illogically did he now reason; so much had he become like the ordinary people. He now regarded people in a different light than he had previously: not very clever, not very proud and therefore all the more warm, curious and sympathetic" (Hesse 129). From loving his son, Siddhartha becomes emotional and illogical. Siddhartha envies families without having a clear and logical reason. However, from this experience, Siddhartha becomes sympathetic and now understands the world more deeply. Therefore, since Siddhartha's love help him connect to the world, although it seems illogical, the experience is necessary.
Siddhartha is ignorant and selfish at the beginning but even those negative experiences help him achieve Nirvana at last. Siddhartha's selfishness helps him understand his father, his mistrust of teachers and learning makes him see the influences that teachers has on him, and his underestimation of love later help Siddhartha understand the world more deeply. Therefore, every experience, even the mistakes, are necessary.
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