text: Kyle Hunter, a Starbucks barista in his thirties, decided to take a break and go hiking on his day off. He felt that his life had not gone as planned and that he needed to clear his head and gain some perspective. Kyle had never gone on a hike before, and thirty minutes in, he had become completely lost, had neglected to bring enough water or food, and had forgotten to apply sunscreen. Several hours later, exhausted from the heat, starving, and with skin the color of a tomato, Kyle was ambushed by a man wearing a Mike Myers mask and driving a black van. He was blindfolded, bound, and thrown into the back of the van. The van smelled like Fritos and feet, and Kyle knew he was in trouble. He was taken to a dingy and dark basement, where he was held captive with no end in sight. Kyle could barely see anything because of the terrible lighting. He was given a cot to sleep on and a bucket to use as a toilet. He was fed meager meals and given no information about why he had been kidnapped or who his kidnapper was. "I'm not sure what you want; I have no money, I'm bad at sex, and maybe if you set a ransom of twenty NFL bobblehead dolls and a case of Pabst Blue Ribbon, my dad might pay; but it's a longshot," Kyle cried into the darkness, receiving no response. Kyle began to break down and accept his fate as the days passed. He assumed he would never be found and would spend the rest of his life in that basement. The kidnapper, wearing the Mike Myers mask, entered the basement one night. "What the hell, man? Are you ever going to let me go?" "Within time." "What do you want?" "I think the most important question is, what do you want?" "I want to leave." "Think bigger, Kyle. What do you want out of life?" "Who are you, my therapist?" "If you need to think of me as your therapist, that's fine." "Man, f--- you; I'm not telling you anything." "I'll leave you with this; if you didn't have any worries, money wasn't an issue, you had health insurance, and you could do whatever you wanted, what would it be?" Kyle continued his day-to-day waiting after the kidnapper left the basement. He had never considered his life's problems in that light before. With nothing to do but exercise and think, there was no shortage of time to reflect on this question. "Do whatever I want? If I didn't have money problems, I'd do... nothing," Kyle thought to himself. "I guess that's what I'm doing now, and I don't like doing nothing." Kyle, in fact, had no idea. He considered traveling but remembered how much he disliked staying in hotels and unfamiliar places. He considered playing video games all day and night, but he had already done that, and after a marathon night, he felt deep down that he was wasting his life. Sure, it was fun to spend time with friends, but after a game was completed, nothing of value was added. He then reasoned that friends were the key, but as he examined further, he realized he was sometimes introverted. Socialization was enjoyable in tiny doses, but he would be unhappy if he had to do it all day, every day. That night, Mike Myers returned. "Have you thought about my question from yesterday?" "Yeah, I'd do things that make me happy." "What would that be?" "I'd do a lot of different things; I'd stay up late, I'd sleep whenever I wanted, I'd have complete freedom." "Freedom? Given your current situation, that's an odd word to use. Do you want freedom because you don't have it, or are you not allowing yourself to be free in your own life?" Kyle realized the truth when Mike Myers left the basement that night. He wasn't talking about his freedom from kidnapping; he was talking about his desired freedom in his life. "How could I not be free?" Kyle considered the concept of freedom. What did it look like? Who did he know was actually free? Who did he strive to be? Night after night, Mike Myers and Kyle had these conversations about life, purpose, and what Aristotle described as Sublime Beatitudo. Kyle finally had an answer to the original question after seven months of examination, reflection, and conversation; if money were no object, he would... It would be very easy to tell you what Kyle discovered, but I would be doing you a great disservice. Some answer this question with spirituality or charity, while others use philosophy, art, or scientific endeavors. Some seek to find answers to the larger questions about life, human existence, and the universe while others desire power and influence not only to benefit others but also to be remembered and leave a legacy long after their lives are over. There is no definitive or universal answer, so you have to find your own purpose by doing the work. As Mike Myers promised, the day had come for Kyle to leave. He left a more substantial person than when he was originally kidnapped; he better understood life's aspirations, what it meant to be healthy, and what potentially may be his path to happiness. Kyle was blindfolded, bound, and thrown into the back of the Frito/Feet van once again, where he was taken to an undisclosed location. Upon his release, Mike Myers handed him a credit card. "This is a gift. It has no limit, will never be declined, and no bill will ever be sent." Kyle was finally free, and not just from the dark basement where he had been held captive.