Event-Based vs. Time-Incremented Life Progression

[blue_shadows9]

It struck me just now, while I was reading an article about the Race to the Top program, that there is a hugely important element of American childhood that I hadn't really noticed before; growing up in this society gives the impression that life moves along in an orderly, age-based progression.  In grades.

I wasn't schooled, but the idea of the

Comments

[dimethirwen]

That's so interesting - I've never thought of it that way before.

That actually might account for why I've been less frustrated than you in this time period - I still have a time-increment model. Like, I didn't for two years and I was getting kind of flustered ("I have to have a real job that sucks like this... forever?!"), but the minute I started applying to schools I felt content and peaceful again, and any job I was working was progression towards a move to grad school, two years of that, then fellowships... etc. If I wasn't moving to grad school I think I'd feel exactly as frustrated as you are now.

[blue_shadows9]

Yeah, I think grad school fulfills that need for a lot of people. I wonder whether "drive" could be defined as "getting really anxious at the thought of not progressing quickly and in regular temporal increments."

[krsnas_favorite]

I can see that. I felt the same way for a while. After I graduated college it was a whole lot of, "Now what?" And then I had my countdown to San Francisco and I think that was the beginning of my shift to event-based life progression. Now my life progression is about meeting goals such as setting up my business, getting my book published, etc.

[blue_shadows9]

Well when you put it that way, the transition doesn't seem that hard! I guess my problem is that I've had a hard time defining my goals, and when you can't do that, you can't really progress in an event-based manner. And of course time-incremented progression has gone away. Hmm. Perhaps goals are the cure for quarter-life crises.

[krsnas_favorite]

Lol, the transition wasn't that hard! It's just a matter of shifting focus. And yeah, goals ftw! ;)