The Greeks understood that there is a lot to be gained from sharing stories of your own struggles and pain with other people. Young people need to be taught that this is part of the human experience, that this is normal-and even healthy. Parents and academic institutions need to create environments where negative and contrary thoughts are permitted. Without these, how will our kids learn to examine their attitudes and beliefs and ultimately develop their own individual value systems-which will guide their choices and decisions throughout their lives?

 Research shows-and the positive psychology movement confirms- that long-term well-being  comes from self knowledge, because when you know yourself, you can choose a path that will be fulfilling for you. When you know what floats your boat, when you know what kind of people are good for you to be around, or maybe not so good for you to be around, when you have the experience of genuinely doing something of service for somebody else, and the intense sense of satisfaction that you get from knowing that you have that capacity, these are the things that inform a path to adulthood that is likely to bring happiness.

In this episode Bryan Doerries, Founder and Artistic Director of Theater of War, reminds us that making lots of mistakes-every day-is the only healthy path towards genuine  self-awareness and self-confidence. That's how you learn to make better choices. The Greeks embraced this openness to error and exploration as the only way towards more long-term gratification. And that's not how our society-or our parenting- is oriented right now.  We would serve our kids. well if we could find ways to give them doses of that every now and then.