Older Americans Say They've Become the Person They Ought to Be — and They've Stopped Worrying About It
When Do We Become the Person We Ought to Be?
A survey of 557 Americans, fielded by Ryan P. Burge and Notre Dame undergraduate Anna Bohlen, asked how close people feel to being the morally ideal version of themselves. Only 6% of respondents 55 and older said they were "very far" from that person, versus 38% of the youngest adults. Older people also report trying harder each day to improve their character while ruminating less on their actions. Active religious respondents reflect more but feel further from their ideal — and non-religious retirees come out most confident of all.
What is self-evident from this data, however, is that self-improvement is a young person's game. Older folks just seem happy to be where they are in life.
- arjie
In a sense, Sunday mass is just an all-hands where you're told the CEO's vision and you get to think about how aligned you are with the vision.
- comrade1234
I feel much more at peace now that my sex drive has decreased. Before this feeling it was my primary goal and I was very successful but now I couldn't care less about sex.
So I often wonder about yogis and saints - are they better humans than me? But i dont think so when I read about people like mlk jr and jfk and how they were terrible people when it came to women, even worse than me.
- datas
Makes sense, believers are on a journey of sanctification. The first battle is won when your soul is saved. The second battle is a lifelong struggle between the flesh and the spirit.
They are in constant opposition.
- socalgal2
> It’s pretty clear that the typical American is always on the lookout for ways to improve their lives on a whole bunch of different dimensions.
This is not clear to me at all.
- ge96
I'm in my 30s and I'm still a dumbass, six fig job still living check to check