5 ms·

What’s wrong with doing the things that your more mature, logical self actually wants instead of what your younger, uninformed self thought you’d want? There’s

What’s wrong with doing the things that your more mature, logical self actually wants instead of what your younger, uninformed self thought you’d want? There’s nothing stopping you from eating ice cream for breakfast, spending all of your money on Lamborghinis, and playing video games all day. As an adult you realize that those things won’t actually bring you true happiness and those decisions will cause significant negative consequences in the future that you’d rather avoid. I don’t see what’s sad about that, other than maybe the disappointment of losing naiveté.

ElFitz 5y ago
It’s still nice to finally have that ice cream for breakfast every now and then.
- brabel 5y ago
  If it's fine now, it was fine back then also.
  - loudtieblahblah 5y ago
    the # if people in the US with glucose monitors says differently.
    - brabel 5y ago
      what you're saying is just that maybe it's not fine now as it was not fine then (as usual, this depends on the particular person).
    - filoleg 5y ago
      There is a difference between "for breakfast every now and then" and "all day every day". I have a feeling that those who would be putting themselves under the risk of using glucose monitors tend to fall more into the latter group.
      - loudtieblahblah 5y ago
        I would guess 90% of people who's eat ice cream for breakfast would be the type to consistently make bad health choices.
busyant 5y ago
> I don’t see what’s sad about that, other than maybe the disappointment of losing naiveté. From my own experience, some sadness is due to treating a few people with disdain in my youth. At times, I was an arrogant, pissy teen. I wish I could make amends, but some of those people are gone.
- nicolas_t 5y ago
  Luckily some of those people might have recognized themselves doing the same thing when they were younger and accepted your behaviour for nothing more than youth.
  - busyant 5y ago
    Thank you. That makes me feel a little better!
lupire 5y ago
It's sad to discover that the happiness you yearned for doesn't exist.
warner25 5y ago
The root of it, for me, is that most of my choices as I grow older are compromises for the sake of ease, or from of a sense of obligation to my wife and kids. Like I recognize that different, harder choices could make me richer, or leaner, or more accomplished, or whatever, but I'm often exhausted and such choices would often be harder on everyone else in the family too. So rather than ice cream and Lamborghinis and video games, my examples would be: living in a small downtown apartment, not having a TV, walking or bicycling everywhere, prioritizing 8 hours of sleep and another hour of exercise, and going into a long disconnected "deep work" state everyday. Instead, we live in a big house in the suburbs with a two-car garage for our minivan and tons of other stuff, and everybody watches too much streaming video, and sleep and exercise are things I do only after everything else is done, and I remain near-constantly connected for the people who depend on me. I love them, but I also just wish that I could "have it all."
- cnelsenmilt 5y ago
  I feel ya. As a childless person of the same age, I have several of those things you mentioned. I count them as blessings but also see that there has been a big, big trade made for them. I see that my siblings have made different choices with different blessings. I suppose this is just life.
- PragmaticPulp 5y ago
  > and everybody watches too much streaming video, and sleep and exercise are things I do only after everything else is done I don't know, this kind of feels like the adult version of ice cream for breakfast. Maybe what you're describing is the difference between dreaming something and actually doing it. There's nothing forcing any of us to watch a ton of streaming video other than our own choices, although it's hard to decide to go out and do something different once you're in that habit.
  - warner25 5y ago
    It's more that my kids watch too much, because my wife and I need breaks to get other things done or rest. Not way too much, and it's carefully curated content, but it's still one of those things that I thought, before having kids, I wouldn't allow. But now I get it. Once they stop napping, it really is a cheap way to buy a couple hours of peace and quiet.

ElFitz 5y ago

It’s still nice to finally have that ice cream for breakfast every now and then.

brabel 5y ago
If it's fine now, it was fine back then also.
- loudtieblahblah 5y ago
  the # if people in the US with glucose monitors says differently.
  - brabel 5y ago
    what you're saying is just that maybe it's not fine now as it was not fine then (as usual, this depends on the particular person).
  - filoleg 5y ago
    There is a difference between "for breakfast every now and then" and "all day every day". I have a feeling that those who would be putting themselves under the risk of using glucose monitors tend to fall more into the latter group.
    - loudtieblahblah 5y ago
      I would guess 90% of people who's eat ice cream for breakfast would be the type to consistently make bad health choices.

busyant 5y ago

> I don’t see what’s sad about that, other than maybe the disappointment of losing naiveté. From my own experience, some sadness is due to treating a few people with disdain in my youth. At times, I was an arrogant, pissy teen. I wish I could make amends, but some of those people are gone.

nicolas_t 5y ago
Luckily some of those people might have recognized themselves doing the same thing when they were younger and accepted your behaviour for nothing more than youth.
- busyant 5y ago
  Thank you. That makes me feel a little better!

lupire 5y ago

It's sad to discover that the happiness you yearned for doesn't exist.

warner25 5y ago

The root of it, for me, is that most of my choices as I grow older are compromises for the sake of ease, or from of a sense of obligation to my wife and kids. Like I recognize that different, harder choices could make me richer, or leaner, or more accomplished, or whatever, but I'm often exhausted and such choices would often be harder on everyone else in the family too. So rather than ice cream and Lamborghinis and video games, my examples would be: living in a small downtown apartment, not having a TV, walking or bicycling everywhere, prioritizing 8 hours of sleep and another hour of exercise, and going into a long disconnected "deep work" state everyday. Instead, we live in a big house in the suburbs with a two-car garage for our minivan and tons of other stuff, and everybody watches too much streaming video, and sleep and exercise are things I do only after everything else is done, and I remain near-constantly connected for the people who depend on me. I love them, but I also just wish that I could "have it all."

cnelsenmilt 5y ago
I feel ya. As a childless person of the same age, I have several of those things you mentioned. I count them as blessings but also see that there has been a big, big trade made for them. I see that my siblings have made different choices with different blessings. I suppose this is just life.
PragmaticPulp 5y ago
> and everybody watches too much streaming video, and sleep and exercise are things I do only after everything else is done I don't know, this kind of feels like the adult version of ice cream for breakfast. Maybe what you're describing is the difference between dreaming something and actually doing it. There's nothing forcing any of us to watch a ton of streaming video other than our own choices, although it's hard to decide to go out and do something different once you're in that habit.
- warner25 5y ago
  It's more that my kids watch too much, because my wife and I need breaks to get other things done or rest. Not way too much, and it's carefully curated content, but it's still one of those things that I thought, before having kids, I wouldn't allow. But now I get it. Once they stop napping, it really is a cheap way to buy a couple hours of peace and quiet.