What worries you?

I was speaking to a group of college students recently and raised the question of what worries them about their future. I followed up by asking whether they were optimistic or pessimistic. A student answered that her hopes were to secure a job upon graduation and that she was neither optimistic nor pessimistic. I wasn't surprised in hearing that answer, because it seems that many in the younger generation do not think deeply about the implications of out-of-control spending. Obviously, many don't think about nor do they understand the impact of out-of-control debt on their future. They simply hope that everything is going to be OK.

The more mature generation who is well-read is extraordinarily concerned about our fiscal viability in the future. Those who are not well-read are primarily concerned about whether anything will impact their safety net. One thing that distinguishes people from animals is our ability to process information. This allows us to plan and strategize for our future. When we are only concerned about the here and now we are forfeiting a huge part of the benefits of humanity and acting more like animals who tend to react to what's going on in the here and now.

Hopefully not only our younger generation but the current generation will come to understand before it's too late that we are the captains of our own destiny. What we do to today has a profound impact on what we do and become tomorrow.

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