Maturity' really means: being very unsurprised by, and calm around, pain and disappointment.

It is the most ambitious and driven among us who are the most sorely in need of having our reckless hopes dampened through immersive dousings in the darkness which religions have explored. This is a particular priority for secular Americans, perhaps the most anxious and disappointed people on earth, for their nation infuses them with the most extreme hopes about what they may be able to achieve in their working lives and relationships.

One of the best protections against disappointment is to have a lot going on.

What kills us isn't one big thing, but thousands of tiny obligations we can't turn down for fear of disappointing others.