We Need Mystery

“The need for mystery is greater than the need for an answer.”
— Ken Kesey

We spend a lot of our time focused on solutions and solving problems. And that makes sense. We have a LOT of problems to solve as a society (like… a LOT), and providing solutions is a really good way to improve our quality of life, as well as lessen pain and suffering.

But something we don’t talk about enough is our inherent need for mystery. Our love as a species for exploration of the unknown, and our natural sense of curiosity.

Have you ever felt the draw of outer space or the depths of the sea, or inspected the back of your closet for a doorway to Narnia?

Have you been drawn to exploring the wilderness, or felt a delightful shiver of terror at a road stretching out into the endless night?

I think that as humans, we are compelled to ask questions and seek out mysteries just as much as we search for answers. We need mysteries — we CRAVE them. Now whether this is because we simply want more problems to solve or solutions to find, or because we are attracted to what we can’t have… well, I’ll leave that to the psychologists. But I can’t deny it’s true. Can you?

As a creator, whether you’re making a podcast, writing a novel, sketching a landscape, outlining your memoirs, or composing a photo essay… what type of mystery can you hint at with your work, in order to capture your audience and further draw them into your world?

Words & warmth,

Sarah