There Is No Map

For a long long time it used to be when you were growing up you kind of knew what you would be doing in your adult life. Assuming you actually survived childhood, your adult life was determined almost entirely on where you were born and what your social status was.

Then the world changed, and things got better, and people are no longer consigned to the same fate as their parents. But this is all rather new in the human experience, and we haven't quite figured out how it works. Unfortunately, while we were figuring out this new paradigm, a little bit of a fairy tale slipped into our thinking. This is the fairy tale where children are told they can be "anything they want"; you just need to figure out what your "dream" is and then go for it.

Unfortunately, that fairy tale does not match up with reality. The fairy tale that says "just be whatever you want to be" usually turns out not to be true. Life just doesn't work that way. People who hang on to that fairy tale once it proves false just get frustrated and disillusioned. But reality, as it turns out, is quite a bit more interesting than fairy tales.

The reality of the situation is that nobody knows how your life will turn out. And your life will most likely turn out in a way you could not have even imagined. That open-ended and unpredictable nature of reality is actually what makes life exciting and interesting.

So do not try to predict or create the future. Pursue nothing other than what is right in front of you and what your common sense dictates at the time. All you can control is how you react to things. All you have to go on is your own internal compass. You do not have an internal map, you just have an internal compass. There is no map.

Your compass is basically your common sense and also your morality. At every step of the way, you cannot have predicted what just happened, but what you can do is check your compass and follow what it says to do next. This will not allow you to foresee a path. What the path will ultimately turn out to be is not for us to know. But you will, more often than not, find satisfaction in your journey. And, one day, looking back, you will see that you have traveled a straight road.

a reply to: olddognewtricks

Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

This was part of the compared to a socialist state whom "told" you what you were going to be...part of the propaganda if you will. Not long ago it was anti communist education explaining the difference, now it's the janitor will be totally equal to the master electrician. As everyone is equal in all aspects, including equally miserable with no chance of changing anything. When someone said we can take America without firing a shot, they were talking start when they are young....works for the muzzies....

Well, I think there's some clarification warranted here...

Children today are a product of the society they live in. Modern society (parents, education systems and peers) now days teach children they are "entitled" to be anything they want, not that they just "can be" (if they work hard enough for it). And, there's a big difference!

When the reality setting in becomes a problem is when the reality of the effort required catches up to the fantasy of the lifestyle. This is when people start complaining about not having a map, and instead just demand the lifestyle without having to pay the dues to get there...because they're 'entitled' to it. It's not their fault necessarily, it's what they've been taught. There are just too many examples of the cause and effect of this entitlement mentality to cite here. Every time some group starts complaining about not being given the map, some other group comes up with some kind of 'entitlement' to ensure the first group's fantasies become reality. What people don't realize is the whole of society is drawn down further every time this happens. And, every time this cycle completes the proverbial "map" becomes more elusive, more removed from reality.

Everything great takes time, patience, and hard work!
If you let people tell you what you cant be and you dont work hard for it, you lose out, they win. There will always be obstacles in life. You have a choice to take it. You think CEO's just get there position handed to them? No

a reply to: olddognewtricks

Welcome to the dawning of adulthood ...

Yes ... you have ceased being one believing in fairy tales .

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Good clarification.

There is still no map.

There is rather a set of principles to guide your actions no matter the situation.

One of those principles I've found helpful is "assess cost and benefits before committing to an action. "

Another priciple is "if an action, upon reflection, seems worthy, be prepared to have to bust your ass to get it accomplished."

a reply to: xSEEKxNxSTRIKEx

An addition to time, patience, and hard work, I would also add focus. To accomplish one thing, you must purposefully exclude pretty much all other things in order to have the time and the energy to accomplish the main thing. Otherwise you accomplish nothing.

a reply to: olddognewtricks

Nor should there ever be a map.

Philosophically speaking, a "map" implies you know both the origin and the end-point. The origin is this moment, but the destination is in the future. Though many generations have tried, no one has yet figured out a way to predict the distant future. The future is a product of probabilities and permutations along the way. And, there's a very real likelihood the exact location of the end-point will change before you reach it. Consequently, the proverbial map will only lead to a destination of missed expectations. Such is reality.

Regarding the principles you've stated you find helpful, I would say it appears you've learned well.