Most of us lead a typecast life. We seem to believe that we are to spend the first 20 years of our life on education. Then spend the next 40 years in our job and retire at the age of 60. And, then lead a retired life till our death. This fixed mindset turns us into a programmed machine and deprives us of our happiness.
We tend to imagine that from our birth to age 20, we are to lead a carefree life. Our schooling and college days fit into this period. So, we make a lot of new friends and laugh a lot more in their company during this period. This is usually the happier period of our life though most of us hate to study. Since the people of this age group are comparatively less experienced, we are often hounded by unknown fears. This is also the period when we devote more time to play and generally enjoy our life.
Around age 20, we pick up a job, get married and begin to raise a family. As we enter this phase, our focus turns to our job and family. From Monday to Friday, it is a monotonous office routine followed by family time once we return home. Weekends are often earmarked for partying or weekend trips. At this stage, most of us become complacent and stop learning. All we do is work, work, and work like a work-a-holic. Sooner or later frustration sets in and we start complaining about our job and all else. When we fail to make steady progess we feel depressed and complain about how tough and unfair our life is. This goes on till we are 60.
Then comes the third stage of our life. It is time for retirement. I heard someone saying that a person who starts working at the age of 20 gets tired at the age of 40. If he or she persists with the job, they become re-tired at the age of 60! For many, this is the time for regret. Suddenly, we find that we have a lot of time and nothing to do. We go recount our past and feel frustrated with the goals we failed to achieve. Some of us even wish secretly that our youth should return to us. Unless, we cultivate some hobby or find ways to keep ourselves busy, it becomes a long wait and arduous wait for death.
The moral of the tale is: Don’t be bogged down by what everybody is doing. Don’t follow others and societal norms. Plan your life meticulously and enjoy your life to the very end. After all, it’s your life!
