I recently wrote about the important effect that our
emotional approach to “now” has on our happiness. Guilt about our past should
inform our choices, but not overwhelm our ability to enjoy a better life. “Now”
is precious because it is our only opportunity to enjoy the moment, do
something virtuous or make a decision to improve the future.
There are those in the new-age movement who seem obsessed
with the current moment that is now.
These people hold that, because the past and future cannot be directly
experienced, they are no better than illusions — the only thing that can happen
is happening now. This is true enough, as far as it goes.
You used to hear people mention “The American Dream” all the
time. Not so much anymore. Now, what was that idea really all about anyway?
Frankly, there is no single definition, but it frequently
includes ideas such as fair opportunity, hard work, overcoming adversity,
personal success, getting ahead, and passing it on to those who come after. It
involves sufficient faith in society to expect general freedom and opportunity.
It is all about hope and moving forward.
The American Dream is not about “every man for himself,” a
big enough hole to hide it, and enough guns to defend it. The American Dream is
not about working for the rich man on the hill or across the tracks and
scraping by with the help of a few stolen chickens. The American Dream is not
even about steady factory jobs and a chicken in every pot. We dream about
having the opportunity to turn our hard work into growth and true advancement.
In order for The American Dream to work, it needs to be
available to anybody and everybody. We know that not everybody will even try to
actually get rich. Some people are content to pray each day for that day’s
bread. Some people are happy to
Last week, I talked about how good it was when individuals approached their lives proactively rather than reactively. You often can’t enter an open door of opportunity if you’re not already prepared. However, in groups, too much general proactivity can be disruptive. In stable groups, harmony and respect for traditions can be comfortable and help to bind members together.
In business, an employee is often tempted (or required) to be reactive. They may be content to do what they are told – simply doing their job and then coming back tomorrow and doing the same job in the same way. That is not bad in itself. When the job doesn’t change and the rules are well-known, the same responses in the same recurring circumstances keep things going smoothly.
People who like predictability, and like for things to remain as they were before, can be happy doing this kind of work, especially if they are part of a team and able to share social connections.
I’m not just talking about low-wage or low-skill jobs. A professional is, by definition, expected to be a highly-trained practitioner of a narrow specialty. In fact, you can expect that the more training they get, the narrower their specialty. They go to school and learn a great deal about a field such as architecture or law. And, having mastered the accepted standards of their specialty, they
