Happened to re-connect with a few people I have worked with in the past in the last few months. These folks are about my age and in an ideal world they would like to retire and do something else. One of the reasons they have trouble pulling the trigger is the lack of a plan for that next phase of life.
So they would stop pouring their time and energy into work and then do what? Just not knowing that answer keeps people doing what they know to do. I can relate to that completely. There is this expectation (or should I call it hope) that at some point an epiphany will occur like it did to some of our lucky mutual friends. They found the right answer and have greatly improved the quality of their lives.
We tend to forget that most were not so lucky so they keep doing the tried and true even if it is hard to justify why that's needed. The other theme that came up for some of these people was compensation and a sense that it might be too much and based on that feeling alone, they are willing to work extra hard to assuage their "guilt". Some of these folks, I have known for a decade or longer. While I don't know what they exactly make but I am all but certain it is not to the indecent level of guilt inducing. I had to wonder if employers are subtly communicating this notion to keep morale high.
Based on what I hear from folks of a certain vintage these days, it seems like that they are choosing to stay put and spin their wheels as hard as they can to not be perceived as taking more than their fair share when in fact they are unclear on what "fair" looks like. The strife of youth fades over time for most people and they arrive at a point in their lives when the combination of higher income and lower responsibility gives them a sense of comfort. It almost seems as if people are not sure if that comfort is well-deserved so they try and remain angsty.
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