I appreciate your zealous advocacy for self improvement via the Buddhist path, it's a great one! I'm also thinking of a quote by Shunryu Suzuki talking to his Sangha: "the problems you are having will continue for the rest of your life!" I practiced pretty zealously in my twenties, sloped off a bit once I had a son, but still practice mindfulness and connectedness in daily life. I still have the same character flaws I did when I was 20, they are just... a bit milder. Gautama said that people don't ripen in practice over night, but rather like fields of grain, gradually ripening over seasons. I've found that Buddhist practice is extremely helpful, but it's far from the only way to develop insight and wisdom. Often leaning into the suffering of everyday life, rubbing against that sandpaper, is as helpful as retreating to the meditation cushion. The two work together of course. Lucky how everything has Buddha nature, and is destined to discover that nature through the universal process of being alive, sooner or later, no matter what we do. May we be well, may we be happy, may we be free of suffering, may we progress 😀