Quest Vs. Compulsion

This is another in my continuing series of " therapeutic distinctions", pairs of concepts that share some similarities but which contain a vital distinction that can have great implications for a how a person lives each day. One such distinction that recently came up in a therapy session was between a "compulsion" and a "quest".

Many people use compulsions to get through the day: cigarettes, lust hits, rituals, worry.....all can be forms of escape or ways to manage intolerable feelings. Who has time to feel with all these compulsions demanding attention?

But a quest is another story. The idea of a quest almost sounds archaic in these modern times, but the image is a noble one that can have great sustaining power. A quest is a tenacious searching, an effort to appease longing by seeking the object of its desire.

I saw a similar distinction recently in a book titled "Walking A Sacred Path" (which describes many productive uses of walking a labyrinth such as the one behind my office ). The author posited the distinction between a tourist and a pilgrim. One comes to witness and enjoy the locale while the other comes to bear witness and engage the soul.

Are you on a quest, or merely compulsive? Are you a tourist or a pilgrim in your life?