Have you ever seen a bear prepare for hibernation? The bear will eat enormous quantities of food, becoming almost twice his usual size in the process. He will become quite active in this preparation period, and build himself a warm and secure den. The uninformed observer may be struck by these sudden changes and believe that the animal is about to engage in some great feat or battle. However, when winter arrives, the animal which has now become fearsomely large will simply go into his den and begin to sleep for a long period of time. All this preparation, you see, was to help him hibernate through the winter season.
The most unhealthy misconception about childhood and youth is that it is a period that must be used to determine our great purpose in life. So, when we grow up and meet adulthood for the first time, we believe that we ought to have planned the direction of our entire life. We believe that adulthood is nothing more than the execution of a perfectly made plan. We believe that those who have utilised their youth properly will naturally have a successful adulthood.