211. Why Is It Important to Know Yourself?

Maybe it’s a sign that I’m getting old, but lately I’ve found my thoughts  wandering to memories from my youth and early adulthood. I can remember exactly what it felt like to know that I had the whole world at my fingertips—that anything was possible, and that I had a life ahead of me that would be every bit as good and prosperous as I chose to make it. And it wasn’t just me! I think that most people for the last several generations grew up with an overall feeling or belief that life was exciting and that what lay ahead couldn’t help but be better than the present or the past. Earlier today, as I reflected on that feeling from my youth, and the path my life has taken in the years since, I was struck by a very sobering thought. I don’t know that the majority of young