“The closer one gets to the realization of one's Personal Legend, the more that Personal Legend becomes his true reason for being” ~ Paolo Coelho, The Alchemist (75)A human being cannot face a puzzle and not try to understand it. There is no paradox or puzzle that people are completely unaware of. The race as a whole has evolved into a highly developed species of problem solvers, which is the basis of what binds the entire species together. That hunger for understanding is what drives people to consider the biggest “why?” among all: “why am I here? “Human beings, throughout time and in all cultures of the world, constantly struggle with the thought of having no purpose. People search all their lives for something that justifies the space they occupy in the universe. While the search for validation happens in different ways, it is still what binds every single person who has ever existed, exists, or will exist together. Why do humans seek this validation? The answer is an innate lack of self-confidence. Our insecurities force us to conjure some reason for our being. Very often we try to gain social acceptance, or at least social recognition, as a means of understanding our self-worth. In Kite Runner, by Afghan author Khaled Hosseini, the main character, Amir spends much of his childhood searching for acceptance, particularly that of his father. Amir is a Pashtun and his servant/childhood friend Hassan is Hazara and, therefore, a second-class citizen. Amir believed that his father favored Hassan because he was fearless and would assert himself when Amir was too pusillanimous to do so. In one case, some Pashtun bullies raped Hassan after a kite fighting competition, and Amir did nothing to stop them. So great is his need for... half of paper... when one discovers what he should do with his life, that becomes his reason for living. The main plot of the book consists of a shepherd, Santiago, in search of a treasure. He eventually finds the treasure; it was right under his nose the whole time. During his search, he discovers that the act of hunting his fortune was more important to his life than actually acquiring the treasure. However, he achieved personal justification. His personal legend was to find the treasure, and in this he found a purpose for himself. No matter what method someone uses to find confirmation of their existence, all techniques serve to achieve the same goal. Human beings across time and cultures are obviously varied. It would be absurd to argue on this point. However, we are united in our search for explanations. We are united in our determination to have purpose.