"That’s simple," says the old man. "They are the prisoners of their personal history. Everyone believes that the main aim in life is to follow a plan. They never ask if that plan is theirs or if it was created by another person. They accumulate experiences, memories, things, other people's ideas, and it is more than they can possibly cope with. And that is why they forget their dreams.”
Perhaps you could read on Dabrowski's Theory of Positive Desintegration. These words being level 1 and 2 (out of 5) of this theory (seemingly).
Just discovered a few days ago, and purchased a book on the subject to see more closely.
Thanks for the book tip! I actually have quite a bit to say on this topic, but didn't have time to elaborate on that particular day.