You are what you Search For
A lot of different factors go into developing our identities. Things we like. Things we hate. People we know and experiences we’ve had. These are all part of our identity, and largely beyond our control. But we do have control over other parts of who we are. We all have a say in what we want to find in our lives. People are what they search for.
That means King Arthur is a cup!
When I was in middle school there was a rumor that the school counselor had quit his job, and left the community to go searching for Bigfoot. It is easy to make fun, but if you gathered together all the people who think they can find Bigfoot, you’d be facing an army. Searching for Bigfoot is so popular there are several TV shows based on the pursuit. Bigfoot will probably never be found, just like Nessie and the Northwest Passage, but this doesn’t mean the search is pointless. People searching for Bigfoot might become a expert trackers or wildlife biologists in the process. They will learn about flora, fauna, and the ecosystems. In searching for Bigfoot, people might find nature.
And they just might discover the power of family along the way.
A person who spends their time searching for secret Templar treasure will probably never find it. But they may find an appreciation of history. Another person looking to prove aliens visited earth in the past can’t help but learn ancient history. A scientist looking for the supreme, universal law will become good at math. Some of these people might be good at explaining what they are searching for. People who look for answers become good teachers.
A man who spends his life searching for God will never get a pat on the back from an all-powerful deity, but he might develop the skills to be a good theologian. The ultimate, undeniable, everlasting Truth has as much chance of being discovered as Columbus had of sailing into Narnia. Truth may or may not be real, but people who look for it become better philosophers.
It is what we search for that makes us who we are. People who aren’t looking for anything exist at the whim of the world around them.
But even aimless arrows have to land somewhere. Usually they fall harmlessly in a field. But sometimes an aimless arrow can get stuck in someone’s foot.
Sometimes they really get lodged in there.
