The Serendipity of Open-Ended DiscoveryThis is a jojo’s reference:Gyro Zeppeli is known for a profound quote that reflects on the nature of paths and choices: "The shortest route was a detour. It was a detour that was our shortest path." He further elaborates, "It's been true the whole time we've been crossing this continent. And because of you, we were able to take that route." These lines emphasize the idea that sometimes the most direct path is not the most efficient, and that unexpected routes can lead to success.The quote "A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it" is attributed to Jean de La Fontaine, a French fabulist and poet. This phrase suggests that despite our efforts to avoid a particular outcome or path, we often end up facing it anyway. It highlights the idea that our attempts to evade our destiny might inadvertently lead us straight into it.In one interpretation, the quote implies that our destiny is not solely determined by our choices but also by the inherent dynamics within us and the circumstances we encounter. For example, if we try to avoid confronting a personal issue, our actions to avoid it might actually lead us to face it sooner or later.This concept resonates in various contexts, including literature and philosophy, where characters or individuals often find that their attempts to avoid a certain destiny or outcome paradoxically result in bringing it about. It speaks to the idea of fate, destiny, or the inevitability of certain events in life despite our efforts to escape them.The quote is sometimes misattributed to Carl Jung, possibly due to similarities in themes explored by both thinkers regarding the unconscious and the inevitability of certain experiences.Jean de La Fontaine originally used this phrase in one of his fables titled "The Deer and the Vine," where a deer, fearing hunters, flees into the forest and gets entangled in a vine. The more it struggles to break free, the more trapped it becomes, eventually leading to its capture by the hunters.This idea is also echoed in popular culture, such as in the movie "Kung Fu Panda," where the character Master Oogway says, "One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it," emphasizing the transformative power of embracing destiny instead of trying to avoid it