On momentum, direction, and constraints

"Their paths diverged as they flew... Some of them forgot they were weightless and let go of the wall... Now they drifted lazily in many directions, waving their arms, trying to swim...Everything depends on how you push off, the course you set when you start. It means we're going to have to get very good at controlling our launches and rebounds or we're all going to end up in the middle of nowhere."
(Orson Scott Card: Ender's Game)

The reason this quote intrigues me is because of the similarity it has to the situation of the unconstrained, independent, limitless young single adult. I am convinced that it is actually very dangerous to be one.

Our paths do diverge as we go. It is natural and exciting that they do. But sometimes it is easy to forget that there are so few constraints and we can drift lazily - forgetting what our life's purpose is, forgetting the work that we can be doing.

To be without constraints, without a set direction, without limits is to lack the ability to progress. In anything - math, science, language - there are rules, laws, and limits. Whether it is a formula, a law, or grammar rules, it is necessary to define them and to follow them if anything is going to be built and if progress is going to be made. If these constraints do not exist, it can be paralysing. How can one begin to filter, to choose, to make decisions? One can easily lose momentum and end up floating...

We must catch hold, build momentum, and take off; without letting the weightlessness distract, discourage, or paralyze - only then can we navigate and begin to build.