It seems like one of the games that kids have played across cultures and ages has been Hide and Seek. In a child’s mind, hiding is fun, and the level of amusement seems directly correlated with how difficult it is to find them, and is followed by some level of disappointment when they’re eventually found.
Yet the scenario drastically changes when this same child is lost in real life. Hiding ceases to be a game. They no longer want to be clever at hiding, they want to be clever at being seen! Their entire being seems geared towards only one thing; to be “found” by their parents… And when they are found, joy and peace supplants their agonizing fear and insecurity.
As adults, our intrinsic need to be “found” remains, yet we seem to find a certain level of “safety” in hiding.