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you are here: > Self >
1. Introduction
| 1.2 |
A personal quest
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The romantic notion of a personal quest may raise images of Arthur, Sir Galahad and Lancelot and the Knights of the Round Table in their seemingly endless search for the Holy Grail. |
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| Yet if we look at our own lives, chances are we have been looking for the keys to sustained and lasting happiness for quite some time. The word quest itself means "a long or arduous search for something" and originates from the Old French word queste based on earlier Latin quaerere 'ask, seek'. | ||
| There are many different names given to the personal quest- the journey, the mission, the path, the way, the rule, getting "in touch" with yourself, the real you and so on. All of these labels provide some insight to the puzzle. Yet on their own, they often lack the dimension and substance to quench our thirst. | ||
| 1.2.1 | The quest is about what is inside, not outside | |
| Looking again at the examples at the beginning of this chapter, we described the obtaining of external things in the hope of finding happiness, but instead only finding the short-term boost of gratification. Once satisfied, our feelings of longing and need probably return. | ||
| Taking this into account, while we might not be able to describe the personal quest, and exactly what it is we are searching for, we can at least agree that it has something to do with the "inner" world. Its not the new cars fault we still feel unhappy. Its not the new television, or dress, or big meal we ate at dinner that is making us feel less. It is something else and that something else is inside us. | ||
| Sometimes, this can be quite confusing as we externalize things by way of the possessions, people and surroundings around us. Yet whatever road we take, it ultimately returns to the same departure point- when we need to consider - what is self? what is mind? what is soul? what is ego? what are our beliefs and where do they come from? why do we think the way we do? | ||
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