Erik Erikson's 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development divides a normal human being's life into different stages with each stage having some special significance. Starting from feeding, toilet training, independence, schooling, peer relationships, love relationships, parenting to finally reflecting on and accepting one's life.
If you consider what one goes through at these different stages and what exactly is the motive for these stages, they all seem to be pretty independent of one another though learnings from one stage are taken over to the forthcoming stages.
I think the first 5 years of our life we just get to adjust to the world and get to know our family and environment - We can call this the gestation period.
After that till the age of around 21 when most of us graduate, schooling is the major event and there's a complete formation of a character and an individuality to everyone of us - This I'd like to call the grooming period. In this period academic learning is the prime focus and we basically try to find the right path to take in the future.
From then on till the age of 65 is mostly career oriented and we try to get better positions in bigger organizations and have a healthier lifestyle. And then on, its mostly reflection and acceptance of our life till death.
In all these stages one thing that is missed out is the bigger picture. What exactly is the purpose of our life on this planet? Has each individual taken birth to learn how to live in the first quarter, work towards better life for himself(maybe for others too) in the next half, and retire reflecting, in the last quarter? This seems a little weird to me. Aren't we humans on earth for some purpose which is beyond the normal "self-growth"?? Isn't there a vision and a mission for the human race, a target to achieve within some period of time..?? I think there should be some overall goal towards which we humans should march, but is there one???
