Life is a journey at times sweet and pleasant at other times bitter and hard. We are all on this journey, constantly changing. During the course of this journey there are many destinations. But each is only a short stop marking a new beginning. As we travel along the journey of life we see many destinations ahead. We think in terms of destinations, of arriving at the desired stop like "When I turn 18 ", "When I graduate"; "When I retire". But as we travel we discover that these are not destinations at all. They are just events, stations where we can change the direction.
In the beginning, as newborn children, we are curious and helpless, overwhelmed by the world around us. Gradually we grow stronger and more familiar with other people. We begin to crawl and say our first words.We continue through to the next destination of childhood. Now we begin to learn our place as parts of the society. Friends become important. The journey still focuses on learning through play and through school.
There is a thin line that signifies the next destination. The teenage years are the beginning of a period of self discovering, of defining our unique identity. During this part of the journey our peers and the outside world play much more important role. We need to be cool - accepted and admired by our social groups. We experience the pressures of the wider society. We become risk takers, experimenting with life. This is the part of the journey where sexual awareness has begun. The next few years are dominated by the search for partners.
The journey continues to the next destination of adulthood. With school days over we enter the world of business and work. Suddenly we are able to earn our own money, make our own decisions. Perhaps we meet a life partner. We marry and live happily ever after.
The fairy tales make this part of the journey seem like the destination of life. Young people dream of marriage which will tell them that they have arrived. But arriving at this...