Slaying Dragons

Why does it seem we must
all slay our own dragons?
There are so many obstacles,
pitfalls, and heartaches 
we could avoid...
if only we learned
from the dragon slayers 
of the past. 
If we allowed their 
experience 
to be our 
experience.
But then, I suppose,
if we never slew 
our own foes, 
we would also never 
come to understand
the meaning of the quest.