Currently, The Curse of Oak Island is set to see a seventh season start up on November 5 of 2019. For those who are unfamiliar, the show is centered on the Lagina brothers’ search for the supposed treasure of the titular island, which has been rumored to exist since the late 18th century. However, it is important to note that none of the expeditions to Oak Island have ever managed to turn up convincing evidence of the treasure’s existence. Never mind the treasure itself. The Curse of Oak Island is no exception to this rule, thus making its continuing run rather remarkable to say the least. With that said, there are still some reasons to think that The Curse of Oak Island is still relevant in the present time:
Love of Treasure
Fundamentally, The Curse of Oak Island speaks to a powerful motivation in human nature, which would be the love of treasure. The exact reason why people are interested in treasure can be rather complicated. Sometimes, people love treasure because they want to be rich, which might not be capable of buying happiness but is nonetheless a very effective and efficient solution for a wide range of problems. Other times, people love treasure because it tends to take on a beautiful form, thus making it pleasing to the senses. Whatever the case, there are a lot of people out there who have fantasies of finding lost treasure so that they can claim it for their own.
Of course, most people can’t just drop everything so that they can go hunting for lost treasure. One, they are reliant on their jobs to provide themselves as well as their loved ones with the necessities of life. Two, even if that wasn’t a problem for them, they lack the expertise, the experience, and the connections needed to hunt for lost treasure even if they already have a location in mind. However, while most people can’t go treasure hunting, they can certainly set aside some time in which to watch other people go treasure hunting. Granted, seeing someone else go treasure hunting isn’t quite as good as going treasure hunting on their own, but it is nonetheless capable of providing them with a sense of vicarious satisfaction.
Love of Mystery
Having said that, there is more of interest than just the treasure when it comes to The Curse of Oak Island’s lasting appeal. In short, we live in a world in which we have made so progress in understanding it that it can seem as though there are no more mysteries left in it. Of course, this isn’t true. For example, the more that scientists uncover about the cosmos, the more that scientists understand how much further we as a species have to go. Likewise, less than 10 percent of the ocean has been mapped out using modern methods, which is particularly striking when we remember that the ocean covers more than 70 percent of our planet’s surface.
Still, there can be no doubt about the fact that the world just isn’t as mysterious as it was in the not so distant past. For instance, we now know enough about the world as well as its inhabitants to say that there aren’t any dog-headed people out there save in the fevered imaginations of ancient writers who were over-credulous. After all, while there are still uncontacted peoples out there, the term is rather misleading because most uncontacted peoples receive little contact with the outside world rather than no contact whatsoever. In fact, even the most isolated people on the planet – the Sentinelese – have been contacted on multiple occasions by multiple parties.
Regardless, the important part is that a lot of lower-hanging fruit have been plucked from the metaphorical tree of knowledge, meaning that there are fewer outlets for those who want to explore for the sake of exploring. Mysteries such as the one that is reputed to exist on Oak Island can serve as a lesser attraction for those with a passion for such adventures. Something that is true whether they are looking on their own or they are looking on while others conduct the exploration.
It Is Quixotic
Don Quixote is one of the great works of the western canon. However, it is one of those stories that have been interpreted many different ways by many different people. For instance, it is important to remember that the titular character was by no means an uncomplicated hero, seeing as how his personal delusions were quite capable of causing serious harm to other people. However, there are nonetheless a lot of people out there who can’t help but be charmed by his passion for what was already a bygone world-view in his time, so much so that “quixotic” has long since entered the English language as a term for someone who is too idealistic and too unrealistic. Being quixotic is very impractical, but it can be very charming as well, particularly when interested individuals observe it from great enough a distance to be insulated from any of the relevant practicalities. By this point in time, quixotic is an appropriate term for The Curse of Oak Island as a whole, considering the lack of results after six seasons spent digging on the same location again and again.
It Is Hilarious
Finally, The Curse of Oak Island is hilarious. That can sound rather strange, but it should be remembered that the show is very similar to a lot of History’s other content in that it is eager to embrace pseudohistorical nonsense for the sake of exciting its viewers. As such, The Curse of Oak Island has proposed a wide range of theories about what Oak Island could be hiding, with examples ranging from lost Shakespearean works to the treasures of the Knights Templar who were supposedly worshippers of a Punic and Phoenician goddess. On the one hand, these theories are ridiculous; on the other hand, they can be a lot of fun so long as interested individuals are in the right mood.
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