Honestly, I don’t get this “it’s all about the journey”

How can the place I’m trying to be, be less rewarding or exciting than the rough and long road it took to get there?

“Life is about the journey, not the destination.” A quote used for self-help, as a ‘get-yourself-back-up’ if you don’t accomplish a goal. It’s on every “Quote To Live By” list ever made. As overused as it seems, many seekers of “meaning” have found that this lady called life is indeed about the journey.

You know, the idea of having a journey in life has been injected into my mind for as long as I can remember. Like every other kid, it fully manifested when I was old enough to have passions and paths I wanted to explore in this journey. Now having my own fair share of life experiences and being on the so-called ‘’journey’’. There are two things I wholeheartedly believe;

1. We’re sure are all on a journey. A voyage to find out what our reason for being here is. (Some people accomplish this along the way, and some others don’t, but hey, “it’s all about the journey,” right?) For some people, it might be exhausting all of their talents and living out life through that. For others, it is to give themselves to the world and pour in so much good. It could also be gathering as much wealth as possible, ending generational poverty in your family. (This is the perfect segue to number two!)

2. Everyone’s journey is different. This is also something I strongly believe. As much as we’re in this together, we have individual roads paved out for us. Like a plane, not everyone flying with you is going to the same destination - even if you arrive together. While it may be your last destination, some people have connecting flights and still have some distance to go.

That being said, I need help understanding how it’s all about the journey. All? The even crazier bit, the ultimate cosmic joke, is that we won’t truly understand that until we’ve taken the journey. Bruh.

“You all (Gen Z) strike me like you want to run past the journey and straight into the destination. Not even relaxing to enjoy the view on the way there,” my 40-year-old friend says to me. What’s so special about the journey, though? Almost like she was ready for the question, “We know that the destination is great, but knowing you worked to get to the end of your life’s journey -whatever you feel that is- is even better. You fought to get where you are right now, and nobody can take away from you the satisfaction of knowing you made it. When you finally get where you’re rushing to, those moments along the way that you’d think about will keep you grounded.” Food for thought, anyone?