The Search

The most profound and enjoyable sensation we can experience is not the achievement of our goals, it’s not the embrace of a loved one, but it's the dogged pursuit of the questions that have no answers. Here, on the precipice of the unknown, we are forced to recognize our insignificance, and let go of our egos.

This pursuit is the only thing we refuse to concede. People will surrender their successes, their relationships, and their identities, but we could never abandon the search for meaning. It is the current behind much of the turbulence in our lifetimes—and throughout human history. Motivated by meaning, whether right or wrong, we change careers, have affairs, birth religions, wage wars, and make art. We are the only species willing to sacrifice procreation for creed.

It’s not obvious why we would go to such lengths seeking answers. The path is rarely straightforward, and when it is, it’s also somehow less gratifying. Our journeys are filled with more suffering than pleasures, and we’ve been told this by books and elders alike—yet each generation must learn this for themselves. The trials aren’t daunting, they’re exhilarating. This is what we were encoded for.

What quest(s) have we been tasked with? Have they been accepted? Acknowledged? Our best lives lie on the other side of the uncomfortable questions—not because we will ever fully resolve them, but because by grappling with them, we come to better understand ourselves and, by extension, our world.