Don't be so sure you speak for everyone. Personally what i want out of life right now can be expressed in very simple terms: pleasure, companionship, exercise, meaningful work, and a social life that introduces me to new perspectives. There's so much bullshit most people do for "fun" (getaway vacations, sightseeing, movies, clubbing, board games, various hobbies / group activities, etc.) that to me is a waste of time and money, and the idea that someone would look back on their life and consider all of that meaningful as opposed to sitting around and watching TV is rather naive.
The most important thing to me in life is helping to advance our society, and any pursuit of invididual gain beyond basic necessities (and i include comfort/pleasure in that) is the business of people who don't care about the future of the world. I believe there are plenty of "career minded" people who think similarly, so i don't consider myself to be way out in left field here.
