Adult development and live skills

Managing Uncertainty

One of the most important abilities one needs to cultivate in the real world is managing uncertainty , if nothing else . Corporations are no longer loyal to workers as they continue to outsource jobs to other parts of the world . Cultivating a wide variety of skills is important in to move on from this kind of blow . My father used to work in manufacturing during the seventies and eighties . At the beginning of the nineties , he lost his job because the company was relocating production to Mexico . Since he did not

know how to do anything else , he bounced from one low-paying job to the next . Maybe had he taken up computer programming , he might have come closer to his retirement goals but alas , his job might have been outsourced in the early twenty first century as well . Some say that a college degree is the ideal way to maintain job security . There is a grain of truth in that as most companies are looking for educated professionals .unfortunately , more white-collar mid-level positions are being outsourced as well , and our college-educated companion is out of a job too . The closest thing to security one can achieve is becoming educated in a field with high market demand , and not enough personnel to fill all positions

Personal relationships are another category where uncertainty is more the rule than the exception . Most marriages end in divorce , no one knows how their kids are going to turn out in the end , and sometimes friends will stab you in the back . The easiest way to minimize uncertainty in this realm is to cultivate a large support system of friends and family members . Confining oneself to a marital relationship or association with one 's immediate family will bring nothing but self-destruction in the end should those relationships flounder . Humans by nature are social creatures , and must form many ties in to feel secure . Of course , there are exceptions to this , and I conclude that they are either very introverted or extremely well adjusted . In this swiftly changing society , one is always out of alignment because of the quickly shifting cultural tides

As a nation , the United States is at a very precarious point in its lifetime . It is embroiled in a series of foreign wars , which deplete the national treasury . In five years , the first of the Baby Boomer generation will retire and there will be no money to support them all Personal investment plans such as IRAs , 401ks , and mutual funds are key to provide our generation with security in old age . Gone is the age of depending on the government for necessities . In some ways , it is a good thing because Americans have lost the self-sufficiency that is part of our illustrious legacy

Starting a meditation practice or exploring philosophical systems that highlight the impermanence of material goods , relationships , and life itself should help the individual come to terms with the unpredictable elements that will always show up - both the good...