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Aaron Zinger's avatar

Interesting! We seem to have come to a similar place on Hesse, starting from different ideologies and focusing on different books of his. Here's what I just wrote: https://outlandishclaims.substack.com/p/seven-glass-beads . I don't think Hesse was exactly preaching selfishness/self-absorption. I think he had internalized the (false) idea that self-actualization and service to the world were impossible to pursue at the same time. He thought he was being selfish with his chosen lifestyle, and felt bad about it, or at least conflicted. But it is possible to find yourself in service to others (you could write one heck of a bildungsroman about Greta Thunberg, I'm sure), and it is possible to serve others by finding yourself, as Hesse did.

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