Self-discovery
A "journey of self-discovery" refers to a travel, pilgrimage, or series of events whereby a person attempts to determine how they feel, personally, about spiritual issues or priorities, rather than following the opinions of family, friends, neighborhood or peer pressure. The topic of self-discovery has been associated with Zen.
A related term is "finding oneself". There are different stages of finding oneself. Cultures from around the world have developed an array of modalities in the journey to discover oneself. In modern times practitioners and scientists have come together to create a map that brings clarity to the process of self-discovery. This is referred to as the levels of consciousness.
A journey of self-discovery is a popular theme in literature. It is sometimes used to drive the plot of a novel, play or film.
Fiction
A journey of self-discovery is a popular theme in fiction. Drama films like Eat Pray Love and Life of Pi are examples of films associated with the idea of a journey of self-discovery.Literature
- Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha
- Jack Kerouac's On the Road
- Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses
- Yann Martel's Life of Pi
- Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones
- Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love
- Craig Thompson's Habibi
- Cheryl Strayed's ''Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail''
Film
El Topo and The Holy Mountain by Alejandro Jodorowsky- A film version of Siddhartha The Pillow Book by Peter GreenawaySamsara and Valley of Flowers by Pan NalinSpring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring by Kim Ki-dukWhere the Wild Things Are by Spike JonzeUncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives and Cemetery of Splendour by Apichatpong WeerasethakulThe Tree of Life by Terrence MalickAvalokitesvara by Zhang XinVoyage, Utopians, Thirty Years of Adonis, and Apostles by ScudSodom's Cat The Red Turtle by Michaël Dudok de WitPlease Stand By by Ben LewinMarlina the Murderer in Four Acts by Mouly SuryaHumba Dreams by Riri RizaNine Days by Edson OdaWendy by Benh ZeitlinSoul by Pete DocterNomadland by Chloé ZhaoAcross the River and into the Trees by Peter Flannery