As this is written, a sow bug crawls across a desk. If he is turned over on his back, one can observe the tremendous struggle he goes through to get … - Eric Berne

As this is written, a sow bug crawls across a desk. If he is turned over on his back, one can observe the tremendous struggle he goes through to get on his feet again. During this interval he has a ‘purpose’ in his life. When he succeeds, one can almost see the look of victory on his face. Off he goes, and one can imagine him telling his tale at the next meeting of sow bugs, looked up to by the younger generation as an insect who has made it.

[...] a sow bug crawls across a desk. If he is turned over on his back, one can observe the tremenous struggle he goes through to get on his feet again. During this interval he has 'purpose' in his life. When he succeeds, one can almost see the look of victory in his eyes. [...] And yet mixed with his smugness is a little disappointment. Now that he has come out on top, life seems aimless.

The big celebration, the wedding or housewarming, takes place not when the debt is discharged, but when it is undertaken. What is emphasized on TV, for example, is not the middle-aged man who has finally paid off his mortgage, but the young man who moves into his new home with his family, proudly waving the papers he has just signed and which will bind him for most of his productive years. After he has paid his debts — the mortgage, the college expenses for his children and his insurance — he is regarded as a problem, a “senior citizen” for whom society must provide not only material comforts but a new “purpose.

Because ‘achievers’ have to be ‘good,’ they tend to keep their feelings under careful control, and they often suffer from ulcers or high blood pressure.

The destiny of every human being is decided by what goes on inside his skull when confronted by what goes on outside his skull.