The Turning Point Of Siddhartha Gautama's Life

A young prince in India grew up surrounded by everything he could possibly desire and lived a life without sorrow in the late 500s B.C.. However, after 29 years of this extravagant lifestyle, the boy grew bored and decided to look for something more than the constant satisfaction that his father provided for him. This boy’s name was Siddhartha Gautama, famously known as “the Buddha,” and his father, Śuddhodana, was a powerful clan leader who hoped his son would one day become the next king. Siddhartha made the decision to relinquish his home to learn how the majority of Indians lived. Throughout a person’s life, they will have many turning points that shape who they are today. A turning point is a specific event that results in a significant
After the holy sage, Asita, prophesied that Siddhartha would renounce his royal life and power and become a great saint, his father, Śuddhodana did everything he could to prevent that from happening ("Siddhartha Gautama Becomes the Buddha"). Siddhartha’s father built a palace just for him and surrounded him with opulence throughout his early life so that he would not have to face any hardship or struggles. However, after living this life of luxury, Siddhartha grew bored. He needed more in life than the constant fulfillment of all his desires. Siddhartha spent the first 29 years of his life isolated inside his palace walls, but once he ventured outside, he realized that he could not continue living his life of luxury amid the suffering that occurred around him ("Siddhartha Gautama Becomes the Buddha"). Śuddhodana thought he was doing what was best for his son and continuing their family’s rule of the Shakya clan, but this seems to be what drove Siddhartha away. On various chariot rides outside the palace walls, Siddhartha saw an old man, a sick man, a dead man, and a monk. These glimpses of the real world were what allowed him to become aware of the suffering that occurs in this world ("Buddha" UXL Biographies). These trips exposed him to sorrow and loss, which his father secluded him from. This caused him to yearn to abandon his life of comfort to live a monastic life like the monk he saw and search for the reasons behind this adversity. Siddhartha became uninterested in his insipid life and desired more. His ventures outside of the palace precipitated his decision to leave and search for something more meaningful in