Take it from an old guy, Spooky. I'm 63 now. Elder statesman and sage. Don't hurry, don't worry and don't forget to smell the flowers along the way.
As I progressed through life, about the time I got to my late forties, early fifties, it dawned on me that all the things that had stressed me out, caused me worry, raised my blood pressure, caused me to weep and gnash my teeth over, the things that I absolutely could not live without and had major importance began to fade as to the value they had. Peace of mind, family, the pleasure of smelling the spring time, looking at a starry sky on a quiet night, some good smoke, a glass of wine, good memories, and the quiet satisfaction that life itself is a blessing.
In other words, my friend, it is the simple nonsensical things in life that ultimately give you the most satisfaction. All the drive and labor and angst over the things that society values the most is really rather mundane at the end of the day and but a shadow that will pass away.
That is not to say that one desist in striving. But, one should put that striving into perspective. One second of inattention and all that becomes meaningless., because boom your dead or a quad, or blind, or...whatever. So, do things for the enjoyment of them, for the fantasy in them. There is nothing in this life that has more value than your peace of mind and if you are like me, a relationship with Him who breathed you into existence.
Chill, my friend.
The problem is that it's not that easy anymore. For anyone under 35, generally, our parents had it a LOT easier. Pensions are a myth of ancient peoples, now. There is no loyalty to companies because companies have no loyalty to their "resources". Everyone's a free agent watching their own back, because co-workers will stab them in it to get ahead and prevent being one of the ones rounded off in the next rounds of downsizing for overseas outsourcing.
And one of the only ways to get ahead is to stuff as many suffixes and degrees after your name early in your career as you can. You HAVE to, or you're just a worker bee. It's the only chance at a future where you might be able to retire comfortably. Because for most people under 35 I know, it's paycheck to paycheck even with good-paying careers. "savings" is something our parents could do.
And so that frantic scramble now isn't optional...it's filling the pantry before a harsh winter. Because if you don't do that, among people of that age now, the only other future at 63 will be a lost home, a tiny apartment, and plunging toilets at wal-mart.
And that's the harsh reality.
