Figuring Out Life the Israeli Way

In the United States we are raised knowing that as soon as we graduate from high school we will go to college and after four years of college (or 8 if we go to grad school) we will be spit out into the work force where we will work hard earning money until our retirement.  Growing up with this knowledge I had just assumed that this is the way things work everywhere in the world.  I was wrong.

In Israel every citizen is drafted into the army when they finish high school and turn 18.  Girls serve for 2 years; boys serve for at least 3 years.  By the time that they get out of the army most Israelis are, on average, just a little younger than we Americans are when we graduate from college.  However, when Israelis are released from the army college is usually the last thing on their minds.  Many post-army Israelis travel the world– the United States, South America, India, Thialand, Australia.  They travel to “find themselves” and to spend time figuring out what they want out of life.  Only when they are 22, 23, 24 or 25 do they even begin to think about going to college.

When I first moved to Israel I was blown away by this phenomenon.  The fact that I had already been out of college and working for two years and that most Israelis my age were just starting to study for their college entrance exams was shocking!  However, the more that I’ve thought about it the more i think that the Israeli way is brilliant.

In my opinion, 18 years olds are way too young to decide what they want to do with their lives.  18 year old freshmen college students are so excited to be away from their parents that they concentrate more on their new independence and social life then they do on their classes.  Such a large percentage of American college students graduate and still have no idea in which direction they want to take their lives.

I don’t think it’s such a bad idea for students to take a little time out after high school to get to know themselves, get used to their new independence and figure out what they really want to learn about.

I studied television production in college and worked in the field for a year and a half before I decided that it wasn’t for me.  I’ve spent the last 2 years living in Israel, “finding myself” and only now am I finally starting to get a faint idea of which direction I want to take my life in at the age of 25– the same age that most Israelis are when they are starting to get their first degree in something that they are certain that they are truly interested in.

American Work Mentality or I’ll Rest When I’m Dead

I was brought up in the good old U.S. of A.– the land of the free and the home of the brave, where opportunity runs rampant, the streets are paved with gold, money grows on trees and everyone is a workaholic.

It’s true.  The United States is home to more workaholics than any other country in the world.  Most Americans work more than 40 hours a week and spend most of their time thinking about work, even when they’re not working.  Evenings and weekends are spent running errands, paying bills and dreading the return to work.

On average, Americans work about 9 weeks more each year, per capita, than Europeans (source: Felicia Benamon, Renew America).  Many Europeans take out a couple of months each year to relax and spend time with their family and friends.  Many Americans, on the other hand, go years without taking any real vacation time.  In fact, even employees who receive paid vacation time often don’t take advantage of it and give up, on average, three paid vacation days each year!  Even when Americans do take vacation time it is frequently spent on non-vacation activities such as running errands and going to appointments.

The American work schedule is one of the largest sources of stress and anxiety as well as having a negative effect on family life and on our mental wellbeing.  In my opinion this is not a healthy or enjoyable way to live!

I think that many Americans live by the principal of “work hard now and play later.”  They believe that if they work hard today they will have time to relax in a few years, but then a few years becomes 10 years and then 20.  They’ve missed their kids’ childhood, their youth is gone and they are too tired and burned out from working to have fun and be adventurous.  I simply can’t imagine living like this!

I’m adopting the European lifestyle.  I want to work hard and play harder.  I want to work just hard enough that I can travel, spend time with my family and friends, do everything that I’ve always wanted and live my life to the fullest.  Maybe this is an idealist or overly optimistic point of view but I don’t care, I’ll make it work!  Who’s with me?