The setting of Siddhartha is ancient China; perhaps author Hermann Hesse is suggesting that good morals to live by can never be outdated. If I were to ask any person walking down the street if they felt the human race is better now than 100 years ago, they would most likely say yes. I believe that we have become more advanced, but have we become better, happier people? It's difficult to agree to that; we have the potential to become better, moral people, but far too many have lost sight of what's important.
I believe that life is about finding personal happiness and reaching your dreams. After reading Siddhartha, something became very clear to me: lessons you learn from a journey cannot only be learned after the journey's conclusion, but more importantly, should be learned along the way. I also took from this book that wisdom cannot be taught to anyone, because the beliefs of others will not apply to your life. You are your own person, and must find your own path. Such messages can also be found in my favorite book The Alchemist, by Paulo