To me anyway, I believe the point of the OP is that he spent a career with a company & job he had a passion for & always had a goal of improving the product, the processes, & everything he strove for. He knew things could have been better, if only GM had allowed "better" to happen. Sounds like the big decision makers above him didn't care as much as he did, & he felt like he spun his wheels for his working life. Reminds me of the song by the Godfathers: "Birth, School, Work, Death." The longest part of our lives is the work segment. Wouldn't it be nice if we could earn a decent living, fully enjoy what we did, and made great strides & victories along the way? I understand his sentiments 100%. And I'll guarantee you, sounds like what he did for GM they didn't pay him TOO much - it was a living.