The common diagnosis for societal problems is that people are simply responding to bad incentives. While this analysis is often correct, it implies a dangerous notion: that it is noble to obey arbitrary reward systems. In reality, doing something merely for a "lil treat" is for pigeons, not people. If you build your life solely around satisfying incentives, you are essentially a dummy.

True human development requires acquiring a purpose—refining a sense of right and wrong to determine how to be useful. Without a moral conviction, the void is filled by tumorous desires for money, power, and status. Those who climb ladders solely for these rewards often lack passion and are, quite literally, spiritually chinless.

Research suggests that developing a value system is a laborious skill, much like reading. Many people fall into "moralistic therapeutic deism," a thin soup of theology that lacks specific conviction. Ultimately, if you don't bring your own sense of purpose, you'll be stuck using the crappy, provided helmets of life.