WHAT IS THIS ALL FOR?

Why do people believe that being happy in life revolves around success and what comes with success? I have spent most of my life thus far, albeit some of the most energetic and capable years of my life, ensnared with the thought that if I go to school, study hard, have a good career, and make a good living, life will be prosperous and satisfying...in the end. Well, life is prosperous and usually quite satisfying, but why do I feel a large void in my life?

Maybe because as child, I actually wanted to have a career focused on the ocean. Medicine as a life choice didn't enter my mind until well into college. I spent my childhood and high school days dreaming of the ocean and the life it posed for my future. Unfortunately the ocean was hundreds of miles away. I didn't care about money or trying to pay the bills, but I suppose that is one of the great privileges of being a child.

Maybe that is the destiny of our human race; to throw away everything sacred in our lives to instead focus on the innate and unimportant. To put life on hold in order to be "successful", to simply discard dreams and replace them with postcards of how things should be, to take the easy route because it is just that...easy.

I like that I am a doctor; that I help people and even feel like I actually save a life once in a while, but I often think of the effects this path has had on my life. I still dream of the ocean and what could have been. Although it is still hundreds of miles away, I can still feel that grasp it has always had on my life.

In regards to success, I think their are three true groups of people in current society. First, there are the lazy-no hope-drains on society that themselves will never account to much. They will not only waste their time on Earth, but also produce children that will likely continue in their steps. Secondly, there are the wealthy success stories. These people have it all, or at least appear that way. They are productive members of society, chair many important groups, take part in social activities, and have spouses that are only good for characters in daytime TV shows. Lastly, there are those who are simply happy and content with life and what it has dealt them while they avoid playing the "drain on society" role. These are the people enjoying what they do no matter what their income is. They had dreams as children and followed those dreams to their completion.

Our society is in trouble. Think of the three groups above. I would place a large wager that most of America, falls into one of the first two groups. How unfortunate. We are too busy worrying about the next step and not focusing on what is in front of us now. Many of us are going to find ourselves at the end of our lives, which for some turns out to be sooner than expected, regretting the chances we did not take or the life we lost.

Life should not be about "what if".