Stripping away the distracting BS, this is what it all boils down to. (In my opinion.)

[llmart]

42. Your post articulates the way I've always felt.....

Thank you for putting my thoughts into such an articulate post. My ex really and truly thought that the entire purpose in living was to make money to buy lots of crap and hoard it. He suffered from depression most of his life but of course didn't recognize it. He didn't have the introspection to realize that all the money and material belongings in the world wasn't making him happy. He thought I had no ambition because I was college educated and extremely smart, and in his opinion didn't make enough money, even though I was happy in my job. He oftentimes had this look of supreme disappointment in me because I didn't want the things he thought I should want.

I read a very good book one time called "Conscious Creatives" (or something like that) that spoke to me about people like me who were outside the mainstream of modern thought. I spent many years as a younger person thinking there was something wrong with me since I just didn't care about the sorts of things mainstream culture told me I should care about.

I wonder if my generation (baby boomers) will become wiser as they age? I think that it takes many people a major life crisis combined with the wisdom of aging before they "get it". I still have hope. Plus, most of us will have a whole lot less to live on when we're older, so we'll have to be more content with the things in life that are truly important.