A Need to Know

If Oedipus had simply found contentment in the way things were, the story would have likely had a much happier ending. However, there was a desire in him to know the truth.  Not just generic truth, but the truth of his own origin.  I feel like this is a basic desire in all of human kind.

I was not adopted, but I have heard that there is often a desire at some point in life, whether acted upon or not, to know where they came from.  Furthermore, those of us who know our biological parents have a tendency to want to know about our ancestors.  My question is, why is this so ingrained in us?  Does our genealogy really have any bearings on who we are? Are we not more of a product of how we are raised? (that question is for the psychologists, I suppose).  Ultimately, it is in our nature to search and dig when we realize that we are ignorant, but even though we may not want to admit it, are there somethings that we would be better off not knowing?

-Jamie Kilpatrick

Commented on Jasmine's "Is Fate the Enemy"