A Journey Called Life

It was a delayed flight—a rather ordinary event in the course of an ordinary day—that gave me the time to reflect. The sight around me was typical of any airport lobby: faces buried in screens, couple of overworked executives busy on their laptops, a few weary heads nodding off, and snatches of conversations filling the air. Among these was a father’s gentle voice explaining to his son that life is like a journey, much like the flight we were about to take. The comparison was simple, even obvious, but it stuck with me. Why do we so often think of life as a journey?

This metaphor, at first glance, is instinctive. Life starts at birth and ends at death—one long stretch, seemingly linear, from point A to point B. We speak of careers as journeys, with "journeyman" once being a common term for someone still learning their craft, moving from one stage to another. Life has lot of adjective icons: roadmaps, milestones, break-ups, crossroads, and destinations. But is life really that linear? How did we come to see it this way, and why does this metaphor resonate so deeply with us?

Since I had time to kill and to understand this, I spent time googling and trying out the new search engine - perplexity. I started way back from the very origins of human experience. 

Our ancient ancestors, as hunters and gatherers, embarked on literal journeys in search of food. It was survival, pure and simple, that drove them across distances, and from this basic need emerged the earliest form of what we now call ‘purpose.’ The hunt was not just about the act of finding food; it was the path to ensuring survival. Herein lies the seed of the journey metaphor—the idea that we move toward something essential, something that gives our existence meaning.

As humans evolved, so did the concept of purpose. No longer content with merely hunting for survival, we began to explore. We moved further afield, migrating from familiar hunting grounds to uncharted territories. The journey now wasn’t just about survival; it was about discovery, about the urge to seek out what lay beyond the horizon. This quest for new experiences mirrored the inner journey—one of growth, knowledge, and transformation.

When humans got organised - religions and myths began to take shape, human experience and life got associated with journey motifs. Hinduism speaks of life as a spiritual journey, one that ultimately seeks liberation, or moksha. Christianity envisions life as a pilgrimage toward eternal life, a journey filled with trials and tests. Greek epics like The Odyssey tell of literal and metaphorical journeys, where the hero’s path to home reflects his personal transformation. Even philosophy, from Plato to Aristotle, adopted this frame of reference. Life was a path—a process toward realising one's potential, a journey of self-knowledge.

As society evolved, the metaphor became even more ingrained. The invention of the printing press allowed ideas to spread far and wide, making concepts once confined to the elite available to the masses. The Renaissance, the Reformation—these were intellectual and cultural journeys in their own right, where art, literature, and science reflected humanity’s ongoing quest for meaning and progress.

But why does this metaphor endure? The answer may lie in something deeper than just history. Life, for all its unpredictability, feels more manageable when we think of it as a journey. A journey gives us a framework, a sense of direction, and crucially, a sense of purpose. The beginning, middle, and end structure of a journey provides comfort, allowing us to believe that the twists and turns along the way lead somewhere meaningful. The metaphor endows life with a narrative—a story in which we are both the hero and the narrator. It offers hope in times of struggle and a sense of achievement at the milestones we pass.

For marketers and brand planners, this insight is invaluable. Brands that tap into this journey metaphor connect with something fundamental in their audience. People are not just looking for products; they’re seeking partners in their own journeys—brands that help them progress, overcome challenges, and reach their personal milestones. Whether it’s through the language of exploration, growth, or transformation, brands can position themselves as guides, companions, or even vehicles that help consumers move forward.

Ultimately, the metaphor of life as a journey works because it reflects our deepest desire: to feel that we are going somewhere, that our steps—no matter how small—are taking us closer to where we want to be. 

The journey doesn’t just describe life; it gives it meaning.