The Effect of Age on Self Perception of Goal Achievement

Most people know Shakespeare's famous line: "To be or not to be," as said by Hamlet, but many don't understand the words that follow it. In this monologue, Hamlet reasons whether to handle his father's murder as a young Prince ("suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune"), or to fight to the death like a man ("take arms against a sea of struggles and by opposing end them"). The appearance of his father's ghost causes Hamlet to age a lifetime in a moment and alter his perception of himself and his goals in ways common to all.

The Dreams of Youth

• When people are young, they are full of illusions and dreams. These dreams come from each individual's hereditary and historically sound past, or to put it in more modern terms, their genetic make-up and immortal right to exist. As youth develops signs of manhood, the living world becomes more clearly understood and some dreams take on more substance, are linked to more concrete aims and in general form part of personal ambition. To hone in on these ambitions, skills and qualifications are necessary and to finally achieve them, approval.

The Journey Through Life

• These are all realms of youth, growing and expanding and setting out on life's journey. In many mythologies and histories of Earth peoples, such journeys are presented as quests for self-knowledge in order to re-affirm the original dream premise (the right to exist). The young man sets out to conquer his world. He gains experience, is led into temptation, suffers set backs, external challenges (such as conflict and living up to image of the father) and internal challenges (such as loneliness and loss of the maternal mother). The journey also involves success and the sacrifice it entails.

The Realities of Aging

• All these experiences happen over time and as time passes, the aging process advances. Thoughts of immortality fly out of the window leaving behind the stark fact that the body and mind sometimes get tired. A new and separate set of criteria come into play that affect each individual's ability to deal with events. Criteria such as energy and fitness, the ability to make decisions, the need to prioritize, the effect of day-to-day wear on motivation and the desire to move relentlessly onward.

The Approaching Destiny

• Family generations can learn and relearn together

  It is now time for the mind and body to adapt to the limits the years of adventure have placed on them. Later still, age cannot hold back the tide of stress and anxiety that is part of modern life. The man, so bold in his prime, must again accustom himself to the effects of aging. This may include a change of diet or certain life habits and the creation of realistic ceilings based firmly on a set of less expansive mortal goals, for assuredly, the time has arrived to take arms against a sea of struggles.