One of the WTF moments I had turning 40 is that I had the luck to know of Confucius very ancient ideas of personal development earlier to see if it is possible to compare my personal development with the Great Confused One.
I was not surprised that this effort made me more confused.
This was taken from Analects 2.4.
At 15 I set my mind on learning; by 30 I had found my footing; at 40 I was free of perplexities; by 50 I understood the will of Heaven; by 60 I learned to give ear to others; by 70 I could follow my heart’s desires without overstepping the line.
子曰:「吾十有五而志于學,三十而立,四十而不惑,五十而知天命,六十而耳順,七十而從心所欲,不踰矩。
So at the age of 40, Confucius claims that he was free of perplexities - someone who has no doubts.
One contextual interpretation is that during those bad old days, there are many gurus or snake-oil salesmen who ......