[Dennis]

I think there are several factors at work. One, there is a traditional message that society sends to us that by a certain age we should know what our goals are and that the rest of our lives is about obtaining this goal. This notion is fortunately changing and you can see this just by the sheer number of people who return to school, chnage careers, drop out of the rat race and try to simplify their lives, decide to have children later in life, etc. Goals can be defined in many different ways(personal, business, family) so you may be looking at one aspect. Second, unless people have the opportunities and the encouragement to seek a better way of life, they operate solely on a reactive basis. I remember a discussion I had wiith a friend of mine when we both turned 40. We both came from working class families and were the first in our families ot go to college. My friend asked me if I thought our fathers were happy when they were forty? My response was that I don’t think it even entered their minds to even ask the question. They grew up in Depression, World War II, and very little options in their lives except work (in the town), get married, and raise a family. They had family obligations and thoughts of another way of life never entered the equation. It was only later in life that I learner my father wanted to be an artist, but that didn’t put food on the table. He had goals but it was never encouraged by family, school, or the social climate of wheree he grew up. Goals can be snuffed out if people are not encouraged to dream.

User Detail :  

Name : Dennis, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 41, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Occupation : School Administrator, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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