To hell with spell-check =)

Very good. At least know I can rest assured that I am not the only person who's screwed for an answer... =)
Thanks dude.

Yah. Oh, we are ALL so very screwed for an unknown but more likely an inordinant amount of time. I only *hope* and *think* I have some answers for myself, hee hee. And I would have called you just to chat, even though we've never met yet, but I went and drove off in a vehicle I didn't own instead.

Hrm... Mine is coming too hehe. Beware. Be afraid. Be ready. It will pounce when you least expect it. ;)

Anesthetic:

Let me preface my response with a general agreement to the sentiments expressed in your #3. In addition to this consensus, thank you for taking the time to write out your thoughts on such a ubiquitous topic.

I would like to first point our your use of the phrases "mid-life crisis" and "quarter-life crisis." Each phrase implies a common stopping point; a point at which many people pause to take stock of their lives - as they have been, as they are, and as they most probably will be. A person may then transpose these ruminations into the realm of possibility. What could have been? What might have been? How could things be different? What can I do to alter the course of the near future? Often, these two considerations (the reality of the past and present, and the fantasy of altered realities) are so quickly juxtaposed by the average mind that the person does not see a clear transition. The quandary that stems from this juxtaposition is classic: What could I have done to facilitate greater fulfillment in my life?

I think that the point of your second paragraph is to make the case for a better existence. This is very helpful (seriously), because there are those who would argue that life is a shithole and there is fuck-all we can do about it. Not to be contrary, but I have to mention the relative measure of happiness. One person might look at another's problems and consider them trite, or recognize the heavy burden that another is forced to carry. How many of us can contend with the problems faced by the poorest segments of any nation's population? Thus, somebody can argue that as long as you have enough money to put food in mouth, clothes on body, and body in shelter, then you do not have a right to complain about your existence - no matter how menial. This is an unfair argument, however. It is unfair by virtue of its internal logic. The issues that you have raised concern life for those who have already ascended Maslow's first rungs. Any argument pertaining to the destitute falls outside the parameters of discussion because the discussion concerns life for those who have achieved what for so many centuries was denied to the overwhelming majority of our population.

Although the argument concerning relativity, or perspective, is irrelevant, it is useful in another way. Much of the collective human effort throughout history has been to put food to mouth. When is that ever truly accomplished? Are basic necessities all that is required to satisfy our instinct to survive? We recognize the basic distinctions between subsistence, comfort, excess, and gluttony. But how many people understand the motivations for each? My point is this: What if, throughout human history, we have struggled to feed ourselves and eke out a living when, all of a sudden, we find ourselves members of wealthy industrialized nations with a surplus of food, cash, and an exorbitant propensity to consume? Well, one of the things that might happen is the surfacing of existential questions like those faced by Edward Norton's character in Fight Club. Sure, we continue to confront spiritual questions that have surrounded our lives since Day One. But, in the context of our existence (you & I), we can not even figure out what to do with ourselves on a daily basis. It used to be that people would wake up before the sun rose, work through the day, and go to sleep before the sun set. Their value systems, and their religious beliefs, were strictly regimented - much like the laws of nature. As a result, their lives were quite purposeful and followed a clearly defined path.

Today we have a rather different set of rules. We have freedoms that we've never before enjoyed. Sure, I suppose that two hundred years ago, Jaycob could have walked off the farm at any point in his life. But where would it have gotten him? Yes, there is always that truly exceptional individual who abandons the yoke of his existence and accepts the possibility of all possibilities, including his own annihilation, and is thus comfortable with such existential variables as the unknown, but the great majority of us fuckers just sit around with our thumbs up our asses waiting for the next big thing to plunk down on our laps and say, "Hey, Schmuck-Face!!!"

So Jaycob was pretty much stuck on his farm. Or in his factory. Or in the ghetto. Maybe he never wanted to get off. That farm was a pretty secure place to be. His personal code was clearly defined, and he was resolute in his various beliefs. He loved God even though God hated him for being a sinner. And, even though he would see purgatory or eternal damnation, he went to church every Sunday. We, however, can graduate high school, go to a university or college, spend some time doing volunteer work for various international organizations thus earning "dedication" credibility, and then move Timbuktu, Mali. If we wanted to. It used to be that if you did those things, you were a pretty motivated individual and you were going places.

Today, you're just going to Timbuktu. You'll sit there and wonder when you started dying and ask yourself: What could I have done to facilitate greater fulfillment in my life? (This is really just dependent upon your motivations for travelling to the city.) You may or may not believe in God, or a god, or any particular system of beliefs / ideas - primarily because we've advanced to the point where no one has to believe in that rubbish anymore (sarcasm, but not accusatory). The Earth is, after all, round. After studying the history of the world for at least thirteen years, we finally realized somewhere in the course of that education that humanity took a collective pause at the end of the Second World War and said, "Hate is a pretty bad thing." College professors throughout the world, with the exception of extremists (fundamentalists, anarchists, etc.), began taking courses in "How to Feel Strongly About Absolutely Nothing at All."

Although our lives aren't quite as simple as they once were, we do have some more options. Although a large portion of our lives are defined by a context over which we have no control, we do have the ability - and the responsibility - to modify the parts of our existence that have an impact on others'. What we lost in clarity, we made up in possibility. We continue that path to this day. Always searching out other possibilities for other routes to abstract concepts like absolute truth and total fulfillment. Even your list is not a single idea - you are not wholly committed to one person, one abstract concept, one nation, or one God. You have an amalgam of things through which you find meaning (read: satisfaction, fulfillment, etc.) in your life. And, you leave open the possibility for change. The idea that one day this list might be different is okay with you.

So, maybe Jaycob thought about getting off of his farm to find greater fulfillment elsewhere. Or, like your co-worker, maybe he didn't. And today, some of us continue to think about ways to add meaning to our lives. Through the nature of our existence, we are left with a slightly larger number of options. I personally like your list. A need to give and reciprocate, to love and be loved, to improve yourself - if not for the simple fact that it feels good, to protect, and an appreciation of the things you hold most dear in your life. I have a rather abstract goal for my life, through which I hope to find some measure of solace. I shall endeavor to eliminate the self-imposed miseries from my existence. I do not want to be the cause of my unhappiness. If I get the short end of the stick, then that's what I got. If I choose it, then I should get beat with it. Generally speaking, I will seek to avoid the asshole part of human nature. To me, that is the part of a person that gives rise to spite, envy, jealousy, hurtful lust, greed, and etceteras. If I can avoid my asshole tendencies, I'll be doing my small part to rid the world of its assholes. (P.S. - Part of that is admitting you're wrong when you yell at someone, e.g. Quigley, over the Internet.) I know that I can't be perfect, and I wouldn't try to be. As long as I don't add to the worries of the world, then I guess I'm doing alright.

Disclaimer: These are just my opinions, and some of them are probably just transient ideas. If you disagree, that's fine. This is just a steaming pile of crap. Also, I am pretty tired; my humblest apologies for spelling / grammar mistakes. If this made absolutely no sense whatsoever, it's not my fault. It's the voices in my head. They won't shut up and let me concentrate, so take it up with THEM!

Yes, I think if you have satisfied your basic needs, then you should be working toward self-actualization, which on the way includes a better way of life. Depending on where you fall in this journey, you will be lacking in different areas, thus one person may count you luckier than they and think you ought to be content while the person above you having more would state the opposite, that you should be stretching for more. When you reach the maxim I also beleive it is now your obligation to attempt to aid others in reaching their potential.

I am driving crazy sometimes by people I know and care about who chose the short end of the stick, knowingly. They have accended some rungs but refuse to climb up further. I think they choose what they know is wrong for them because: 1) they can't find the long end and 2) don't want to be in the middle. They are unable to feel very strongly about nothing at all ;) But they know what they are choosing, thus they know what they would rather choose. Or maybe they can't put their finger on what they'd rather have, or if they can, they can't see it in reach. Knowing something good will happen to you requires faith at times, or self-confidence, and for those who have lost faith, it is typically in themselves; you can have all the faith in God you want but if you don't have faith inyourself, the channel to the power you seek is cut off at your end. I'd like to kick them in the collective butt sometime and get them out the door to go look for what they need, but they misplace their contentness, disguising it as a shrine, and stay at home instead.

Can I leave them there? I can't save everyone, and not everyone can be saved. But if I leave them there I wrestle with what that means what I am. As I ought not to contribute to the plight of humankind, if I am not actively aiding, what am I doing? I don't have an answer yet. But I am out the door, looking.

Aye. Then we agree that better lives do exist. Perhaps, our search for a better life will never end. But isn't that the point?