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Ed Brenegar's avatar

You are scratching the surface of a very big topic that no one really wants to discuss. There is a complex relationship here between money, consumerism, personal worth or identity, sensitivity to the needs of people, generational differences, and the purpose and value of work or employment. I grew up in the sixties, went to college during the seventies, was also in a spiritual community, but without any true hippies. More conservative and traditional in practice. It was also a time of high inflation where credentialed professional employment was not easy to obtain. I worked in a youth ministry after college where I had to raise my support. I never raised what I was required. My mindset was that I could live with less. It was my first encounter with the need to develop an expansive network of relationships. As I analyzed my mindset then I realized a couple of things. First, my parents never talked about money. So, I had no familial (institutional) memory about its importance or management. Second, those who didn’t chose a corporate career, but a human services one, never had financial security. After about ten years of operating my consulting practice, a friend who had advanced to a significant job in a large corporation and I had a conversation about our different career trajectories. He longed for the freedom that I had. I responded. It would be nice to have the financial security that you have. The underachievers you describe had a perception about life that did not fit well in a modern consumer society. They saw value differently. And society at large, would see them differently too, because their orientation is not about money. So much more to say. Great topic. Thanks.

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Gary Sharpe's avatar

Very insightful. One question, is this a very Anglo cultural thing? Other cultures (Indian and Chinese) are extremely pressurizing of their kids to achieve, but there are not equivalent drop out sub-cultures? Is this because of a cultural deference to respecting elders/parents. The Philllipines may be another case study, where again deference to parents is part of the culture?

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