the younger generation

So because I had to endure 4 incredibly long plane rides to and from the east coast, I bought some reading material. I also read my friend's magazines since they seemed interesting (Cosmopolitan is as interesting as you think it'd be, maybe even more). Aside from the "What he does when you're not around", and other articles, one thing that really caught my interest was a statistic: "85% of 18-25 year olds say their goal is to become rich." Granted, everyone wants to be rich, but how come it wasn't, "Their goal is to become rich doing something they LIKE?" For awhile now, I've struggled with what exactly equates to success. Most people, especially at Punahou, associate success with getting into a good college so that one can get a good job that will rake in the benjamins. Those who don't have that in mind- I take that back, everybody has money in mind whether they'd like to admit it or not. It may just be an awareness, a lust, or an indifferent attitude, but at one point, everyone has thought about how much $$ their job can offer. Let me rephrase that. Those who don't openly express wanting to be rich, as in the other 15% according to that survey, probably think success is "being happy". That term bothers me just because it's so vague. Practically everything makes at least one person out there happy. Being a hobo? Hey, some people like the fact that they don't have to worry with a job, no corruption & issue that naturally follow money. They like living off the aina. Though it could only be one person who feels this way, it's still someone. THey could feel "happy"/successful being a hobo!
This may seem really farfetched, so I guess I should also support my statement with a more feasible and believable example. The most common example of something that doesn't always make people "happy" is probably all those people who dedicate their lives to "making the world a better place". This could include saving homeless people (even the hobos who like being hobos), working with children in 3rd world countries, running various organizations/charities, etc. The pay is all what I call spiritual gratification- feeling good about what you're doing. You don't make a lot of money but you love what you do and feel rewarded anyway. This is being "happy". So when the 85% of 18-25 year olds say that they want to be rich, I feel sad. They need money to feel successful or "happy", whatever you want to call it. It's not really all that surprising, however, it's kind of pitiful that our generation loves $$$ more than helping others. This is the world we live in, and that's realism for you.