After I saw the movie, Captain Phillips (Tom Hanks), which told the story of a man who was kidnapped by Somali pirates, I immediately
wanted to know more. I got on the Internet, which said the movie was based on Richard Phillips’ first-person account. So I downloaded a sample of his book. Not only that, but I also looked up the main actors.
I wanted more because I still had questions. What really happened on the Maersk Alabama, the freighter that Captain Phillips piloted? How did the other crew members and pirates experience the events? To get to the bottom of it, I’d probably need to board the ship and visit Somalia, which would be most productive if I learned the language there and didn’t have to rely on a translator.
My longings to learn in depth went unsatisfied. “Our eyes can never see enough to be satisfied; our ears can never hear enough.” (Ecclesiastes 1:8b)
Why do we have such insatiable curiosity? I think it’s partly because we want to learn from others’ experiences and figure out what we would do–or would hope we’d do–in a similar crisis. Are you satisfied with what you’ve learned so far in life?
Jesus said, “Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find, knock, and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)
Norma Nill 