One of the courses I'm taking right now is Geriatric studies, sort of a combination of gerentology specifically combined with general cultural studies. To be honest, I only took it as a requirement, but it's turned out to be one of the more fascinating of the classes I take. Today the discussion was on the theories of aging, specifically active aging as compared to passive aging, and also things like norms and social roles. I've decided I really think social expectations are quite negative constructs in human life. There is this idea that a person runs along the time line of school, college, uni, workplace, marriage, children, career, etc until death, which fairly specific ages for many of these roles. While this provides structure for a person who can't decide what to do with his or her life, it's quite problematic for someone who doesn't want to live on that time line. For instance, a person who, at forty, still hasn't chosen a career or held a long-term job would often be looked at as irresponsible, but what if he or she is happy that way? What if they have enough to meet their needs? Or a person who does not marry until they are forty-five and gives birth ten years later. That's not unheard of, of course, but it's quite a shock.
I think people should be a lot freer to map their lives according to an internal timeline, rather than trying to jump from point a to b per a script.
My opinion, anyway.
Ziadas
Intresting thoughts, focusing on individual freedom of choices.
Many people follow the way of living that you suggest, but most of them they end up by regretting not to keep the right traditional track. however, most of the so called "normal people" who keep the normal pace will also sometimes end up by regretting many of things they did. some of them don't like their carrier, many of them they divorse, some of them even suicide. People are never happy and satisfied. always there is an "if".
My thinking is to be committed to all what we have to do or at least to all what we feel like to do, and to always think how to improve the perfomance in order to reach the objectives. this means that we have always to have objectives whether in studying, or in working or even in private life such as marriage and so on...
I personnlay kept the timeline with my study and carrier but I was speciallised in one direction (civil engeneering) and I'm working in a completley other direction (socio economic expert and researcher). I got married late (after 35). I don't have children. I often feel self satisfaction, but from time to time I have this strange feeling of regret. I ask myself what if I worked in my profession? what if I got married earlier, what if I had children, and so on.
But beleive me, people without ambitions and objectives, they always feel self satisfaction and they never have the challenge to change their life or to improve their position, they can keep a slow pace of their life; they never regret but they never reach any ambitious objective.
so be ambitious, try to "catch the stars" and do what ever you want to do in order to reach your objectives.