A Snow Drift and Astonishing Questions

Let me tell you two stories.

The first is of a young man who was born and raised in a foreign nation. This young man moved back to Jerusalem with his family and an intense passion to hear the Text. He was very poor and worked as a day labor to support his family. Every day he would climb up onto the temple courtyard wall to listen to the greatest teachers in Israel talk about the word of God. You see, there was a cover charge to get in to listen that he couldn't afford.

Why?

Why?

Why am I curious? Why do I want to study and know more about science and about people and about the bible and about God? Why do I ask questions and challenge a system of living set up from generations of tradition? Why do I challenge others? Why do I challenge myself?

I recently watched one of my favorite movies from high school called "The Island" starring Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson. Survivors of the apocalypse are found and taken to a rehabilitation facility where they are kept healthy. Lucky ones get to win a lottery to go to an uncontaminated paradise called "The Island." Eventually everyone there will do go The Island except for the works dedicated to finding survivors and keeping the facility running.

The survivors have regular day jobs, a nice home, wonderful recreational and workout facilities, almost a paradise getaway of its own.