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Don't be jealous. Soon you will be 45 with no debt, able to retire but working because you enjoy it and able to do anything you want any time you want without a

Don't be jealous. Soon you will be 45 with no debt, able to retire but working because you enjoy it and able to do anything you want any time you want without any real worry. Many of those friends will be 45, in debt to their eyes, or bankrupted at least once, and talking about lucky you are to be able to just up and go on a 10 day fishing trip to Alaska simply because you wanted to. They won't, however, understand that they could have had exactly the same life if they had chosen to delay the 'fun' just a few years. Guess how I know ;)

chronic25 13y ago
Statements like these are meant to justify inequalities. Keep hoping you will have a better life later while I will have a great life now and an even better life later.
seanmcdirmid 13y ago
On the other hand, soon you will be 45 with no debt, but not many interesting life experiences. You realized you spent all your time working and being a responsible drone, but then you look at your poor bankrupt friend who did so many cool things the last 20 years and feel like maybe your course wasn't the best course. Now you are getting old, have a family to worry about, and are not really able to do the back packer thing anymore. Different strokes for different folks. Time is also a limited resource; be careful not to waste your youth on just work.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- sopooneo 13y ago
  That is a false dichotomy.
  - seanmcdirmid 13y ago
    So was parent.
- raintrees 13y ago
  I cannot agree with you here. Although I do not claim to be smart now, I am definitely farther along than when I was younger. And I hope to be working only because I enjoy it in about 9 more years, happy to be also looking forward to quite a bit of travel, as well as on-going self learning I already do... I worked hard for the first 20 years, now I work part time, and as I said already, I hope to have it be optional soon. I also feel far more appreciative of life in general now, whereas I took much for granted while younger. Hopefully, that will continue to increase... But now having typed this, I realize that we are all different, and the path we took is the path we had to take to be who we are... Hmmm... Never mind?
  - seanmcdirmid 13y ago
    > But now having typed this, I realize that we are all different, and the path we took is the path we had to take to be who we are... And that is the real wisdom that age provides :) I could criticize the family guy for working hard, living in suburbia, and forgoing exciting travel/work opportunities to have a quite acceptable but normal life. But, hey, it works for him, and he has many things that I don't (and vice versa).

chronic25 13y ago

Statements like these are meant to justify inequalities. Keep hoping you will have a better life later while I will have a great life now and an even better life later.

seanmcdirmid 13y ago

On the other hand, soon you will be 45 with no debt, but not many interesting life experiences. You realized you spent all your time working and being a responsible drone, but then you look at your poor bankrupt friend who did so many cool things the last 20 years and feel like maybe your course wasn't the best course. Now you are getting old, have a family to worry about, and are not really able to do the back packer thing anymore. Different strokes for different folks. Time is also a limited resource; be careful not to waste your youth on just work.

deleted 13y ago
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sopooneo 13y ago
That is a false dichotomy.
- seanmcdirmid 13y ago
  So was parent.
raintrees 13y ago
I cannot agree with you here. Although I do not claim to be smart now, I am definitely farther along than when I was younger. And I hope to be working only because I enjoy it in about 9 more years, happy to be also looking forward to quite a bit of travel, as well as on-going self learning I already do... I worked hard for the first 20 years, now I work part time, and as I said already, I hope to have it be optional soon. I also feel far more appreciative of life in general now, whereas I took much for granted while younger. Hopefully, that will continue to increase... But now having typed this, I realize that we are all different, and the path we took is the path we had to take to be who we are... Hmmm... Never mind?
- seanmcdirmid 13y ago
  > But now having typed this, I realize that we are all different, and the path we took is the path we had to take to be who we are... And that is the real wisdom that age provides :) I could criticize the family guy for working hard, living in suburbia, and forgoing exciting travel/work opportunities to have a quite acceptable but normal life. But, hey, it works for him, and he has many things that I don't (and vice versa).