The Roots of Midlife Crisis
theatlantic.com
The Roots of Midlife Crisis
1–10 of 64 posts
Re: The Roots of Midlife Crisis
#2Basically "midlife crisis" is a way for people who are married with families to put down anyone having more fun or experiencing more freedom than them.
Re: The Roots of Midlife Crisis
#3I think there is an element in there about realizing ones mortality and vulnerability. In younger years there is a mentality of "I have an infinite amount of time left" and I can do whatever I want.
Later in years, a realization of one's mortality (an emotional/personal one, not just a theoretical understanding). Coupled with signs of an ageing body -- fractures take longer to heal, chronic diseases start to poke their head, etc.
Re: The Roots of Midlife Crisis
#4Basically "midlife crisis" is a way for people who are married with families to put down anyone having more fun or experiencing more freedom than them.
I'm married with family. It is something else: You need to turn yourself into a corporate-or-other slave to pay off the mortgage, cars, save for kids' schools, etc.
Absolutely no wonder that in "poor" countries they are happier. Living in constant stress about the job, with huge financial obligation, not even seeing your kids and spouse except for weekends and a week vacation a year -- compare this to my parents generation in communistic (then) Poland -- no debt, guaranteed jobs, free housing. Economically speaking yes this doesn't make sense. Psychologically - why they are looking (in the article above) in all the wrong places for explanations when it is so obvious.
Re: The Roots of Midlife Crisis
#5Basically "midlife crisis" is a way for people who are married with families to put down anyone having more fun or experiencing more freedom than them.
I'm married with family. It is something else: You need to turn yourself into a corporate-or-other slave to pay off the mortgage, cars, save for kids' schools, etc. Absolutely no wonder that in "poor" countries they are happier. Living in constant stress about the job, with huge financial obligation, not even seeing your kids and spouse except for weekends and a week vacation a year -- compare this to my parents gene…
>Absolutely no wonder that in "poor" countries they are happier.
what?
Re: The Roots of Midlife Crisis
#6TLDR : "the age U-shape in life satisfaction is driven by unmet aspirations that are painfully felt during midlife but beneficially abandoned and felt with less regret during old age"
Basically, most people hope they will do great, but instead fail miserably in their expectations and finally even let go of the hope.
Thoreau said 'Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.'. Apparently, this is wrong, as this would suggest even the song leaves them.
They live a life of quiet despair, then forget their dreams and - boom - happiness! Ignorance must really be bliss.
As another commenter said, "Basically "midlife crisis" is a way for people who are married with families to put down anyone having more fun or experiencing more freedom than them."
Agreed. I plan to have fun without encombering myself with things that would reduce my freedom (and I'm sure a lot of people will hate that and say that's not responsible, etc)
Doing without kids will be a good start, so that the life/energy/money is invested on my projects intead of another biologically related person.
EDIT: I'm not bitter, I just want to avoid a potential problem by making adjustments. I would consider giving up on my hopes and my dreams a much more serious issue that trying to adapt myself to a problem
Re: The Roots of Midlife Crisis
#7Basically "midlife crisis" is a way for people who are married with families to put down anyone having more fun or experiencing more freedom than them.
What about people who aren't married and don't have kids? HN has way too many people who absolutely know something, and who are completely wrong.
Re: The Roots of Midlife Crisis
#8Articles on 'happiness' are a staple on HN. We see Western fixations – such as obsessive individualism, technological fanaticism, and economic intoxication – as the height of human progress. Analyze everything with the scientific method regardless of the problem at hand( Mapping happiness to curves and parabolas. really?).
We have tuned our minds into advanced scientific grooves but have an underdeveloped psychological mind unable to grasp its own misery. Its like riding on chariot drawn by mismatched horses.
Re: The Roots of Midlife Crisis
#9Basically "midlife crisis" is a way for people who are married with families to put down anyone having more fun or experiencing more freedom than them.
I actually sometimes feel bad for people who for whatever reason don't end up having children. It may seem like the rational choice in the beginning but I wouldn't underestimate the long term upside.
Re: The Roots of Midlife Crisis
#10Basically "midlife crisis" is a way for people who are married with families to put down anyone having more fun or experiencing more freedom than them.
Feeling dissatisfied or frustrated with one's own life isn't equivalent to putting down those of other people's. You seem to have misunderstood the term 'midlife crisis'.