Beep! Beep! That’s All Folks!

I was seeking inspiration the other day from our old friend, Wile E. Coyote. I’m fascinated with the show concept, the artwork, and all the silly ways he (unsuccessfully) tried to catch the Roadrunner. Did you know that in the end Wile E. Coyote finally caught the Roadrunner. Yup! In 1980, the bird was nabbed once and for all in a segment called ‘Soup or Sonic’. 

While the idea of capturing the Roadrunner is the glue that kept these characters and the concept for the show that lasted decades, it was the chase that made for good watching, not the actual capture. The two started their antics in 1949. 

There’s a built in appreciation and universal metaphor inside of the process and pursuit that all humans recognize when they see it. It also explains how masters of craft, sport champions, and other superhuman feats are both justified and made possible. We are built for the pursuit. 

Ironically, it also explains why those same masters, sports heroes, and herculean efforts almost never satisfy the practitioner in the same way that the pursuit of that end goal did. I’d love to have grabbed an interview with Wile E. Coyote in 1980. 

“So, how’s it feel to have finally nabbed the Roadrunner? Mission accomplished?” 

I think we both know what he’d say.