This feeling is often experienced during transitional periods of life. Fowler used the movie Pollack to further explain this life. The character in the movie is without sense of inner-direction. He has a tendency towards cynicism, a sad agnosticism. He is unknowing about his potential or capacity. A person who lives this type of life might have a gift or talent, but has no discipline to deal with failure or loss. Heteronomy describes the second lifestyle. A person living this life has values that parallel those of others. His/her paths may or may not be individual choices; they are often influenced by social of family expectations. This is a common situation: those who love us have their expectations of us; it is our duty to keep those in consideration, but ultimately follow our own chosen paths. Fowler used The Sopranos as an example. The third life can be described as autonomy. In this lifestyle, the law is given by oneself. A person creates self-held principles and desires, and self-chosen goals based on responsibility. There is a sense of self-fulfillment as we do our best to create our own paths. The concentration focused on ourselves may or may not lead to grounded relationships with others. The character of Tom Hanks in Cast Away is an example of this lifestyle. .
The last type of life is theonomy. It is God, the knowledge of God, the knowledge that we are not alone; life is a gift. There is a possibility of a partnership with the ultimate being. Chocolat lends example to this lifestyle. It recognizes that life is part of a long evolutionary process; each of us is a link to generations yet to come. We live with billions of other people and creatures on an endangered planet. Our goal should be to preserve all life on this globe, to be agents to/for transforming love. This lifestyle calls for a belief in a calling for each of us with needs and challenges of God's purposes for life. There exists paradox in following this lifestyle.