I have my own theory about the mid-life crisis. Average life expectancy in the 18th century was around 30 years and certainly not much different in the thousan

I have my own theory about the mid-life crisis. Average life expectancy in the 18th century was around 30 years and certainly not much different in the thousands of years before. It just exploded to our modern values in the last 150 or so years. Germany introduced old age insurance in the year 1889, applying at age 70, where the average life expectancy was only 40. I am convinced: when the members of our species used to pass away between 30 and 40 over a duration of some hundreds of thousands years (more or less after the reproduction and upbringing phase) that is somehow built into our minds and cultural awareness and souls and bodies (and probably genes). We are aware of our life expectancy and are scheduling our lives accordingly - on a subconscious level - according to our biological legacy, not today's statistical figures. But now we turn 40, and we don't die. We go on for another 40 to 60 years, but there is no plan for that time in our souls. In my believe, the mid-life crisis is actually an end-life crisis. It was for me, 15 years ago. I had no urge to buy a muscle car or look after younger women or whatever is considered typical for the mid-life crisis (but it might be one quite logical model to just start over with life if it doesn't end as unconsciously expected)! In my case, I developed a very strong feeling, that I have lived my life, found my love, fathered two lovely children, seen some nice parts of the earth, liked my work, made my errors, had my woes and that if faith would hit me here and now and I would die of illness or accident, that would actually be ok. This feeling was not depressive at all and absolutely not suicidal! Just accepting, that what one would expect from life has been granted and from here on, everything else is an addon or a reward. My wife and my kids do not like me talking like this as well. It makes them afraid, that I might be tired of life. But I am not. I still have a million ideas and plans for the future. But I realized with 45 that I will only fulfill a small fraction of them, no matter how old I will get. I made peace with it. I am not so driven any more, and less afraid of death and both are good things. Everything you describe makes complete sense for me! Try to project it into my model of the end-life crisis: our species knows what to do until we are 40. After that, we have to invent ourselves anew. That is why you feel lost. You are! Accept the challenge, try something different, do not fall for mid-life crisis cliches and do not hurt your beloved ones on the way!