The Awakening of Siddhartha Gotama : หน้า 6/263

people see the signs of receding youth and health and respond with disgust, especially at the sight of a corpse. Siddhatha Gotama’s witness of these events was different, however. Confronted by the inevitability of death, Siddhatha Gotama was not perturbed but thought like a soldier on the battlefield — one had the choice of whether to fight or to surrender — but if one were to surrender, one would die for sure — however, if one were to put up a fight, at least there would be some chance of survival! Seeing the fourth of the angelic emissaries, an ascetic, Siddhatha Gotama recognized this path as a way of fighting back against the inevitability of old-age, sickness and death. Secondly, most people, in considering appropriate paths of action in life, have very little more than their own worldly interests at heart. In a family life, an altruistic parent might extend their decision-making to the interests of their family too. Some parents might even forgo their own personal interests, if it is in the interests of their family. These are some leaders, moreover, who might forgo their personal interests and their family’s interests in order to serve the interests of the people of their nation (themselves and their family included). In considering the appropriate course of action for himself, Siddhatha Gotama surveyed the world seeing that the lot of living beings, himself, his princess, his newborn son and all the people of his kingdom unexpected, was to undergo the suffering of old-age, sickness and death. He considered his own potential in comparison to the rest of the people of the world and realized that others failed even to see the danger of their predicament, let alone to find a way out of it. He realized that if