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Retirement is a 40 year commitment to doing something you don't want to do (working) so that at the end of it you can have 20 years you do enjoy. The internet i

Retirement is a 40 year commitment to doing something you don't want to do (working) so that at the end of it you can have 20 years you do enjoy. The internet isn't an alternative to retirement, but it changes the 40 year investment from "why not?" (for my parents the alternative was sitting in their bedrooms staring at a wall) to "why?" (for me I could spend 18 hours a day browsing the internet and never be bored, it's what I do anyway but I'm paid for it). > Watching a YouTube video of a concert, for example, is nothing compared to being there... and even with all the crazy VR tech that will be here in the near future (or even now) Definitely, but is being there worth spending your life doing a job you hate when you could not do that job and get the same thing (the concert) but with a not as great experience (via Youtube, not in real life)?

FredFredrickson 14y ago
Well, like I said, I agree with you, in that I think that the traditional form of work / retirement is out-dated and wrong, at least for me. Life is too short to waste it doing something you dislike, only to try to carve out some small enjoyment at the end, when you might not be physically able to do much (or you might not be around at all!). As for the rest, I don't think that you are required to work crummy jobs just so you can go out and have experiences in person. And I don't think that personal experiences are all life is about either. I just think it's important to remember that for all the great things the internet provides us, it is no more a replacement for experiences than television is. It's just one way, among many, to do things. And not the only way.