im 27 at the moment but have had the opinion since my early 20s that i would like to die around 60 and maybe even earlier.
i dont mean to be anti-old people but what fun is life around this age? i see what old people do, and id most likely commit suicide if i was living like that.
a good fun 20-30 years is fine with me.
how long do you want to live?
-
George the original one
- Posts: 5406
- Joined: Wed Jul 28, 2010 3:28 am
- Location: Wettest corner of Orygun
LOL... at 60, most people haven't retired yet! Seriously, most people are fairly hale well into their 70s (and sometimes into their 80s) unless they sit on their butts.
Old age is what you make of it. You don't have to live like the other people your age now do, so why would you do so when you're older?
Old age is what you make of it. You don't have to live like the other people your age now do, so why would you do so when you're older?
Check out this 88 year old man trying to set the record as the oldest Appalachian Trail thru-hiker: http://www.trailjournals.com/about.cfm?trailname=11863
He's already covered over 700 miles this year, and looks like he has a shot a finishing. I think he is having more fun in his 80s than I did in my 20s!
He's already covered over 700 miles this year, and looks like he has a shot a finishing. I think he is having more fun in his 80s than I did in my 20s!
Having had a few family members make it into their 90s with their minds intact and decent health, I have to disagree that living a long time is necessarily unpleasant. For instance, my great-grandmother lived on the same island as the rest of my family, so we got together often. I drove her to church every weekend and she enjoyed getting dressed up and going to "society lady events" with the other old ladies (this is what people did for fun in the 1920s I guess). She took walks around the neighborhood with her little dog. DH's great-grandparents are both in their 90s and seem to be doing well. My grandmother is in her 60s and still does things like buy old houses and fix them up and run her own business. She also goes to the bar and has parties at her house. Just because you're old doesn't mean you have to play bingo and live in a nursing home (as long as your health holds out). The older folks I have known who seem to be happy and healthiest have younger family members they spend a lot of time with. Kids are good for something I guess.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Rollino
this guy was a strongman and lived to the ripe old age of 104, supposedly 'still able to bend quarters with his teeth as of his 103rd birthday'
he died at the age of 104....of old age right? hell no!! he was hit by a car.
yes..age indeed is what you make of it...
however i understand that it is difficult to imagine yourself having fun decades from the present. in your teens..the mid 30s life usually doesn't seem fun..but when you hit mid 30s, life still is fun..but only your idea of fun has most likely changed by then. to a 30 year old..fun at 60 is probably near impossible to imagine..but again...
this guy was a strongman and lived to the ripe old age of 104, supposedly 'still able to bend quarters with his teeth as of his 103rd birthday'
he died at the age of 104....of old age right? hell no!! he was hit by a car.
yes..age indeed is what you make of it...
however i understand that it is difficult to imagine yourself having fun decades from the present. in your teens..the mid 30s life usually doesn't seem fun..but when you hit mid 30s, life still is fun..but only your idea of fun has most likely changed by then. to a 30 year old..fun at 60 is probably near impossible to imagine..but again...
-
webberchoked
- Posts: 36
- Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2011 4:22 am
giving a few examples of complete outliers isnt a fair representation of what the 60+ crowd do. i know these people exist but they are extremely uncommon.
i spent a lot of time caring for my grandad in a nursing home in my late teens early 20s and i cannot imagine wanting to be alive at his age.
i guess i should also note that i am an adrenaline junkie, i spend the vast majority of my time engaged in extreme sport, snowboarding/mountain biking. people like me probably dont make it to old age anyhow.
i spent a lot of time caring for my grandad in a nursing home in my late teens early 20s and i cannot imagine wanting to be alive at his age.
i guess i should also note that i am an adrenaline junkie, i spend the vast majority of my time engaged in extreme sport, snowboarding/mountain biking. people like me probably dont make it to old age anyhow.
-
George the original one
- Posts: 5406
- Joined: Wed Jul 28, 2010 3:28 am
- Location: Wettest corner of Orygun
> i spent a lot of time caring for my grandad
> in a nursing home in my late teens early 20s
> and i cannot imagine wanting to be alive at
> his age.
Nursing home time stinks. Do everything you can to stay out of them. Don't smoke, don't break bones, stay trim and stay active.
It is rare, though, for someone in their 60s to be in one. Even my dad didn't hit one until he was over 70 and he got there because he was a heavy smoker. The majority of people don't need a nursing home (or even assisted living) until they're over 80. You normally begin thinking and planning about assisted living around age 75. My mom, with diabetes & collapsed vertebra from osteoporosis & high blood pressure stayed out of assisted living until she was 87 by staying active.
> in a nursing home in my late teens early 20s
> and i cannot imagine wanting to be alive at
> his age.
Nursing home time stinks. Do everything you can to stay out of them. Don't smoke, don't break bones, stay trim and stay active.
It is rare, though, for someone in their 60s to be in one. Even my dad didn't hit one until he was over 70 and he got there because he was a heavy smoker. The majority of people don't need a nursing home (or even assisted living) until they're over 80. You normally begin thinking and planning about assisted living around age 75. My mom, with diabetes & collapsed vertebra from osteoporosis & high blood pressure stayed out of assisted living until she was 87 by staying active.
-
Mr. Overlord
- Posts: 48
- Joined: Tue Sep 07, 2010 6:17 pm
I don't think those are complete outliers. Maybe towards the end of these "examples" lives they might be, but the majority of older people seem to get old because they allow themselves to get old.
My 61 year old mother competes in senior and open track and field events, and in volleyball and basketball leagues. She broke both hear ankles 2 years ago and recovered as fast as any twenty year old I have ever known to keep playing at the same level. It's pretty simple why she can do this. She works out (P90X and light lifting) and eats half decent.
Yes, there are people with genetics that make them human tanks who live full lives too 100 without working out or eating well. There are also people with such crappy genetics they never get out of their 30's or people with genetic predispositions for bad conditions that will take them out of life in their 50's or 60's. However, the majority of people can probably lead full active lives into their late 70's if they just ate well and exercised.
My 61 year old mother competes in senior and open track and field events, and in volleyball and basketball leagues. She broke both hear ankles 2 years ago and recovered as fast as any twenty year old I have ever known to keep playing at the same level. It's pretty simple why she can do this. She works out (P90X and light lifting) and eats half decent.
Yes, there are people with genetics that make them human tanks who live full lives too 100 without working out or eating well. There are also people with such crappy genetics they never get out of their 30's or people with genetic predispositions for bad conditions that will take them out of life in their 50's or 60's. However, the majority of people can probably lead full active lives into their late 70's if they just ate well and exercised.
-
Freedom_2018
- Posts: 479
- Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2010 12:10 am
Forever? (After all isn't that what a 3% SWR is for 
I guess the real question for me is how many years of Wage Slave life = 1 year of FI Life and go from there.
I guess the numerical side of this is easy whether measured via savings rate and/or absolute free time (average wage slave works 2000 hrs). The qualitative aspects are harder to define (lower stress, BS, freedom to pursue other hobbies)
I guess the real question for me is how many years of Wage Slave life = 1 year of FI Life and go from there.
I guess the numerical side of this is easy whether measured via savings rate and/or absolute free time (average wage slave works 2000 hrs). The qualitative aspects are harder to define (lower stress, BS, freedom to pursue other hobbies)
@webberchoked:
> giving a few examples of complete outliers isnt a fair
> representation of what the 60+ crowd do. i know these people
> exist but they are extremely uncommon.
how about:
giving a few examples of complete outliers (everyone ERE) isn't a fair representation of retirement. i know these people exist but they are extremely uncommon.
whilst the above statement is true, we all know there is nothing about ERE/FI that should make it possible for only a miniscule number of people to attain it..yet only a small number of the population will be ERE/FI. In this case a lack of ability is not the problem: it's the lack of motivation. Similarly, old age (60ish) isn't the problem for most people..lack of motivation is.
well..i agree that the examples were outliers..most people are certainly not going to be around to see their 104th birthday..but just about everyone can do just about everything they want in their 60s. you'll be slower maybe and even clumsier..but that's not such a big deal, is it? especially if you're having fun. if you're not seeing most 'old' people not doing anything (i'm not either), i think it's mostly because of the same reasons you don't see a lot of young people ERE.
> giving a few examples of complete outliers isnt a fair
> representation of what the 60+ crowd do. i know these people
> exist but they are extremely uncommon.
how about:
giving a few examples of complete outliers (everyone ERE) isn't a fair representation of retirement. i know these people exist but they are extremely uncommon.
whilst the above statement is true, we all know there is nothing about ERE/FI that should make it possible for only a miniscule number of people to attain it..yet only a small number of the population will be ERE/FI. In this case a lack of ability is not the problem: it's the lack of motivation. Similarly, old age (60ish) isn't the problem for most people..lack of motivation is.
well..i agree that the examples were outliers..most people are certainly not going to be around to see their 104th birthday..but just about everyone can do just about everything they want in their 60s. you'll be slower maybe and even clumsier..but that's not such a big deal, is it? especially if you're having fun. if you're not seeing most 'old' people not doing anything (i'm not either), i think it's mostly because of the same reasons you don't see a lot of young people ERE.
"i guess i should also note that i am an adrenaline junkie, i spend the vast majority of my time engaged in extreme sport, snowboarding/mountain biking. people like me probably dont make it to old age anyhow."
I used to ski with my father in law. He was a member of the 10th mountain division during WW2. He was in his late 70's and many of his friends were in their 80's. They skied the hardest expert trails on the mountain all day and they were just regular guys who loved to ski.
Like you, I engaged in extreme sports when I was young and I never believed that I would live to see my 30th birthday. I just turned 58 and I have more endurance and strength than most of the people I know in their 20's.
If you eat and live like the average American, you will probably be in the kind of shape that would make life not worth living. The choice is yours.
It might also be a good time to start competing in something like chess for the inevitable downtime during recovery from extreme activities.
I used to ski with my father in law. He was a member of the 10th mountain division during WW2. He was in his late 70's and many of his friends were in their 80's. They skied the hardest expert trails on the mountain all day and they were just regular guys who loved to ski.
Like you, I engaged in extreme sports when I was young and I never believed that I would live to see my 30th birthday. I just turned 58 and I have more endurance and strength than most of the people I know in their 20's.
If you eat and live like the average American, you will probably be in the kind of shape that would make life not worth living. The choice is yours.
It might also be a good time to start competing in something like chess for the inevitable downtime during recovery from extreme activities.
-
jacob
- Site Admin
- Posts: 15994
- Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:38 pm
- Location: USA, Zone 5b, Koppen Dfa, Elev. 620ft, Walkscore 77
- Contact:
From a physical standpoint, you definitely have to put more effort in. In your teens and twenties, recovery times and hormone levels are so high you don't even need to worry about it. As you hit thirty and forty, you have to really start managing this to make sure you can physically recover from your previous workout in time for the next one. However, if you do, you can remain competitive with 20 year olds.
Another risk is that as you become older you become responsible for more things (that's the usual path anyway) and so the first time you have a serious crash on the black diamond slope or a bad landing in your helicopter, you realize that maybe there's too much at stake now.
These are the main two issues I hear from the older crowd (50-70 year olds) I know. It does mean that more motivation is required to maintain the effort.
Another risk is that as you become older you become responsible for more things (that's the usual path anyway) and so the first time you have a serious crash on the black diamond slope or a bad landing in your helicopter, you realize that maybe there's too much at stake now.
These are the main two issues I hear from the older crowd (50-70 year olds) I know. It does mean that more motivation is required to maintain the effort.
There's an article in Men's Journal or Best Life (maybe even Outside - Obviously, I forget), which investigated professional athlete performance declines in their 30's and 40's. They noted that actual potential declines are so small they wouldn't prevent pro athletes from still competing at a professional level. What really stops them is motivation. They burnout from working at such a high level or think they are working hard when they really aren't. This is kind of in the same ballpark as what Jacob mentions.
60 years is *not* that old. My mother is 63, and she's perfectly active. I would consider her as healthy as a 40 year old, really. She's not athletic, but she never was.
Personally I'd be happy if I could make it to 80. I think that by the time you're 80, things are going downhill. After 80, I think quality of life generally gets pretty bad, unless you're very lucky.
Then again, my perspective as a 23-year-old will probably be different than my perspective if/when I'm 80
.
Personally I'd be happy if I could make it to 80. I think that by the time you're 80, things are going downhill. After 80, I think quality of life generally gets pretty bad, unless you're very lucky.
Then again, my perspective as a 23-year-old will probably be different than my perspective if/when I'm 80
.I'm looking forward to, in my sitting years up in my 80's and 90's watching films, playing video games (maybe not the twitch-based ones), playing strategy card/board games, spending time on intellectual pursuits, socializing, reading/writing/listening to books/audiobooks, listening/writing music.
If I lose my mind that's no big deal either, since I have a generally pleasant disposition. I'll just be happily ignorant/confused all the time. That sounds alright too.
If I lose my mind that's no big deal either, since I have a generally pleasant disposition. I'll just be happily ignorant/confused all the time. That sounds alright too.
"i know these people exist but they are extremely uncommon."
mm, they may be the minority but i don't think they're *extremely* uncommon.
my mom is in her late 60s and is very fit and active, very young in mind and spirit. i have no fears about being in my 60s - if i'm in as good a shape as she is, i'll be able to hike, kayak, play tennis, walk, travel, etc. - and i hope to be in even better shape!
one of my best friends is in his early 50s and excellent shape, seems the exact same as when he was 25. but i know plenty of other people in their 50s who seem more like 70. they're unfit wheezers who can barely make it from their car to the burger king table, they're chronically overweight, and they are allergic to new ideas and experiences.
many years ago oprah did a show on "real age" and had 20 people lined up across the stage, all various ages, from young good-looking people to old gray bent-over people .. and then they revealed everyone up there was exactly the same age. very scary. being at the right end of the bell curve is on you!
mm, they may be the minority but i don't think they're *extremely* uncommon.
my mom is in her late 60s and is very fit and active, very young in mind and spirit. i have no fears about being in my 60s - if i'm in as good a shape as she is, i'll be able to hike, kayak, play tennis, walk, travel, etc. - and i hope to be in even better shape!
one of my best friends is in his early 50s and excellent shape, seems the exact same as when he was 25. but i know plenty of other people in their 50s who seem more like 70. they're unfit wheezers who can barely make it from their car to the burger king table, they're chronically overweight, and they are allergic to new ideas and experiences.
many years ago oprah did a show on "real age" and had 20 people lined up across the stage, all various ages, from young good-looking people to old gray bent-over people .. and then they revealed everyone up there was exactly the same age. very scary. being at the right end of the bell curve is on you!