YRPA, Launch Part Two

I'd like to add my "hullo's" to Alice's for anyone reading this blog. Alice provided a great introduction to the ideas behind YRPA (although she gave me way too much credit!) While this started as a pseudo-joke, after talking with Alice and a number of other people, I began thinking that some sort of organization like this is actually one that could potentially benefit a lot of people.

I think the idea is that we all live under a set of societal norms in which many of us feel pressure to fulfill certain roles and obligations - often manifested as advancing our careers, working our tails off, and making ever more money. However, a number of people around me have gotten increasingly disillusioned with this type of lifestyle and the lack of balance that it creates. They search for something else, for another way to approach life, but find it hard to break out of the cycles they've been in for so long.

Yet, as Alice said, there are people who have done this, or at least tried to do so, whether at first by choice or not. The impetus could be a bad work week, an economic downturn, a first-born child, a family tragedy, or just a plain old epiphany. No matter how it starts, free time begets contemplations of what "happy" is and notions of what makes one satisfied in life. Thus begins the "retired" stage of life of a young professional. For some, it lasts only as long as it takes to find another job, while others savor the temporary stop in responsibility for half a year or longer. Still others embrace their new-found freedom and figure out other ways to feed themselves that leave them time to enjoy life.

No matter what YOUR particular status is, I envision YRPA to be a place that can help provide support, advice, and understanding.. a place where people from different places can connect and talk about their similar circumstances. Where people can share their experiences and perspectives, mutually validate anxieties, and help each other figure out how to overcome them.

I'm not sure if this will work, but I think it's worth trying.