171–180 of 192 posts
Truth is you don’t have tomorrow for granted. We could die today, tomorrow or in 90 years. Planning ahead so strictly is like wrapping a blanket around your head for safety in a firefight.
Don’t overplan, don’t quantify everything in life, relax, enjoy, smile and roll with the punches as much as you can. We only get one life.
Acceptance. My survival strategy for mid-life has been to replace the ambition and balls that got me through my 20's and 30's with age appropriate acceptance of the MANY things I cannot control & don't have time to do, with a wisdom to focus on the FEW things that are likely to matter to me when I hit my 70's and beyond. For example, I can't control the divorce that consumed a ton of time and money in my 40's, but I…
Something interesting seems to be happening in society. We set aside religion, a trend that accelerated exponentially starting in the 60s, but had no real ideological or philosophical foundation with which to replace it, so it simply created a vacuum for meaning. In my opinion that vacuum was largely filled by consumerism and hedonism. But of course those alternatives aren't really alternatives, because they give som…
Even before this, the renaissance was a period filled with a turning away from religion and of reintegration of older classical stories and ideas. Descartes and Newton, though religious, introduced a fully mechanical model of the universe which has been growing in strength ever since.
Even in the meditations Marcus Aurelius carefully considers the idea of the universe consisting of nothing but atoms and their motions
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Something interesting seems to be happening in society. We set aside religion, a trend that accelerated exponentially starting in the 60s, but had no real ideological or philosophical foundation with which to replace it, so it simply created a vacuum for meaning. In my opinion that vacuum was largely filled by consumerism and hedonism. But of course those alternatives aren't really alternatives, because they give som…
I would like to challenge the notion of the drop of religion being a recent phenomenon. In fact I would counter its been going on at least several centuries. After all, Nietzsche was saying God is dead in the 19th century. Even before this, the renaissance was a period filled with a turning away from religion and of reintegration of older classical stories and ideas. Descartes and Newton, though religious, introduced…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I would like to challenge the notion of the drop of religion being a recent phenomenon. In fact I would counter its been going on at least several centuries. After all, Nietzsche was saying God is dead in the 19th century. Even before this, the renaissance was a period filled with a turning away from religion and of reintegration of older classical stories and ideas. Descartes and Newton, though religious, introduced…
I find this a lazy, western-centric, summary of religion's decline. Nietzsche does not a consensus represent, however deep and insightful his statement. It is this kind of casual dismissal of faith that provides one of the fuels to the populist "God and country" crowd exploited by Trump and his ilk.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's even worse when you take into consideration quality of life. For many people their last decade may come with severe medical issues. That's why you need to let go of this idea of some awesome 2 decades of retirement where you finally get to enjoy and do all the things you want. You'll be broken, half your friends are dead or dying, the kids won't visit, and you have no energy. I'm being intentionally brutal to ma…
Or even worse, you could die in a car accident tomorrow. So much for a midlife crisis, let alone happy retirement. Obviously, throwing the future to the wind and only caring about the present is stupid, but like you say there is absolutely an argument to be made that we should make the most of the time we have right now because tomorrow isn't guaranteed.
35 years from now.
Think about how much the world, technology, politics and ideology have changed since 1987. If you think the born-now will honor your retirement claim (that you/gov are making since new-born can't agree?) then, yeah, go for that retirement thing.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've had this feeling in life that after middle age, it is most satisfying to adopt the mindset of a teacher. No more am I an explorer or barrier breaker. I am now a foundation, a home, a tome of knowledge and wisdom that should be used to help the next generation get a leg up.
Easy to do when you have stability and dignity. For myself, my first career was wrecked by new technology. Now I am 40 years old in an entry-level SWE position alongside 22 year olds working under people in their late 20s or early 30s. Not only would none of these people accept me as a source of knowledge but they can hardly bare to give me the time of day. I am very proud of my contributions to the team and I don’t…
Someone dear to me could have started SWE at 38 but felt as you do and quit. More than 12 years later they would be a veteran at the job but instead today still are looking in from the outside saying 50 is too late, regretting their decision and making excuses just like they said at 38. Wrong then, wrong now.
12 years from now you will probably kick yourself for worrying about what worries you today. I am proud of you for making a change; stick with it! Few industries consider you senior after 3-5 years.
Acceptance. My survival strategy for mid-life has been to replace the ambition and balls that got me through my 20's and 30's with age appropriate acceptance of the MANY things I cannot control & don't have time to do, with a wisdom to focus on the FEW things that are likely to matter to me when I hit my 70's and beyond. For example, I can't control the divorce that consumed a ton of time and money in my 40's, but I…
Something interesting seems to be happening in society. We set aside religion, a trend that accelerated exponentially starting in the 60s, but had no real ideological or philosophical foundation with which to replace it, so it simply created a vacuum for meaning. In my opinion that vacuum was largely filled by consumerism and hedonism. But of course those alternatives aren't really alternatives, because they give som…
I wonder if the "midlife" part of midlife crisis does some harm. Other then me not being in my midlife (well i hope lol, don't think i want to die at 60) a lot of those issue resonate. Shrinking of possibilities, empty feeling as i pursue things. Ive felt this way on and off since my 20s and have talked with friends about similar feelings.
Yeah, this hits home. I'm only 28 but can feel my life becoming more and more predictable and stagnate. At the same time, I'm too afraid and money-conscious to make any bold changes (e.g., quit my job, start a business, go back to school, live in a van for a year, do something weird with my life). This is an incredible source of anxiety and depression. I've started therapy and have made some progress. If I can become…
Of course most people go through it the hard way (firing, divorce, etc...) But I don't suggest you do it now, but if you are not saving any significant money from your current job you might as well just leave.
A great way to spontaneously trigger a midlife crisis, no matter your age, is to watch Youtube videos about the universe, the origin of life, etc. You'll get this inspirational rush of how amazing everything is, how vast the universe, how incredibly unusual for life to exist and for us specifically as a species to exist. And the advanced state we're in, able to do almost anything. And then you realize that you're usi…