2 ms·
Damn. I can barely read TFA. I mean, we'll all eventually face some sort of dementia. And death, of course. But when you're 70, it's much more immediate. There
by mirimir 8y ago
Damn. I can barely read TFA. I mean, we'll all eventually face some sort of dementia. And death, of course. But when you're 70, it's much more immediate.
There were times in my life when I didn't do much except drift, play with drugs, seek sex, put my life at risk, etc, etc. All the serious stuff could wait. And WTF, there'd be global nuclear war any day now. So why bother?
Now I'm retired. There's no need to work, so all I do is putter. And my likely future is so short that there's no point in long-term planning. Also, and it's quite amusing, I don't need drugs to space out. I need them to stay focused. And to keep various physiological stuff from killing me.
So maybe I'm a lot like that patient in TFA. But there's a key difference: I've never been diagnosed and institutionalized. And dog willing, I'll die before I am.
- gubbrora 8y ago> And my likely future is so short that there's no point in long-term planning. I've enjoyed your hn posts so thank you for that. I hope you can make the most of the time you have left.
- mirimir 8y agoHey :) By "short", I mean (dog willing) 10-20 years. So there plenty of time for y'all to get very tired of me. I have noticed, over the last decade or so, that I'm becoming increasingly adamant about doing whatever it is I'm committed to in the moment. And not spending time doing stuff that doesn't interest me, to make others happy. I've always been somewhat like that. But now I'm much more upfront about it.
- CPLX 8y agoThat's the best part about getting old.
- mirimir 8y agoTrue. And more so, that you get less resistance about it. Also, it strikes me that startup founders are probably a lot like that. Or more generally, entrepreneurs.
- BigChiefSmokem 8y agoThis reminds me of the famous Dylan quote that Steve Jobs used to describe his time left with Bill Gates: "You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead."
- mwcremer 8y agoBeatles, "Two of Us", Let It Be
- ridgeguy 8y agoAn idea for you as you serve whatever time remains to you... Go learn how to make a good Sauterne, in the mold (as it were) of Chateau d'Yquem. People may drink it a couple of centuries from now and thank you for it. About 20 years ago, I was treated to a glass of the 1847 d'Yquem. It was superlative. As I drank it, I thought of the people who made it before our Civil War, and how cool it was to be drinking their work 15 decades after they put it down for a long snooze. It wouldn't be long-term planning, exactly. More like long-term contribution, bringing joy to somebody you'll never know. In any case, best wishes for a good life in whatever time remains before dog comes to fetch.
- lostlogin 8y agoThat autocorrect adds a bit of comedy.
- mirimir 8y agoAre you referring to "dog willing"? That's intentional humor. But I've forgotten the source :( And actually, I don't like dogs at all. They're too hierarchical.
- 3pt14159 8y agoFor the others confused: TFA stands for The Fine[0] Article. [0] I round up.