Saturday, October 29, 2011

What Is It About 20-Somethings?

A gritty article by the NY Times. Here's a quote: “It’s somewhat terrifying,” writes a 25-year-old named Jennifer, “to think about all the things I’m supposed to be doing in order to ‘get somewhere’ successful: ‘Follow your passions, live your dreams, take risks, network with the right people, find mentors, be financially responsible, volunteer, work, think about or go to grad school, fall in love and maintain personal well-being, mental health and nutrition.’ When is there time to just be and enjoy?” Adds a 24-year-old from Virginia: “There is pressure to make decisions that will form the foundation for the rest of your life in your 20s. It’s almost as if having a range of limited options would be easier.”
Want more? See:  Click on the link below for the full New York Times Article. It may annoy or inspire or overwhelm you.
What Is It About 20-Somethings? 

4 comments:

  1. hello all, it seems that its a persons own thirst for personnal advancement and financal wealth that puts pressure on them more so then others, if they were more centered and relaxed with themselfs and the world around them they might see what is truly important.

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  2. when I was in my 20s (I'm 58 now) the mantras I learned from my good friend Kate were to "be here now" and "flow".

    She was always a little ahead of the curve. I agree with Timothy, and think it's a question of 1) wanting to change the world; and 2) wanting to be somewhat comfortable (in terms of my personal resources) and 3) claiming the right to stay balanced and centered in my day-to-day life. I think the main "gig" is to claim your own rules for the game of life and then live by them...with full intention. Note: "What Are My Rules For the Game of Life?" The trick, of course, is that as you age to 30-something, then older and older, you learn more stuff, and you have to keep revising your own rules as your beliefs and circumstances change. That's the continuous adventure, I think.

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  3. Thanks Marta and Timothy! I do feel like the world has changed for all generations. Time seems faster, and the air is...well, thicker...with so many much more information, technology, people, options. Meanwhile, opportunities are less. Simultaneously, there is a sense of expectation, like something is about to happen. Perhaps wondrous, perhaps frightening or both. Or is that just me?

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  4. I feel that sense of expectation as well. And also that we each have a role to play in deciding: Is we willing to be frightened? Or are we choosing to believe that what is happening is wondrous?

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