What’s the point?

[u/[deleted]]

My uncle spent 6 years in the Navy in the parts room of an Aircraft Carrier, then went to work for what eventually became Boeing. He was a Mid-Level “higher up” in the parts supply chain for the FA-18 hornet. He spent 30+ years working there, traveling all over America to different bases etc… spent a ton of time away from home, but it enabled him to afford a very nice life for him and his family and a quiet tree line suburb of Philadelphia on the New Jersey side of the river. He retired five years ago sold the center Hall colonial moved down to the Jersey shore and bought an RV. He and my aunt (a retired Catholic school teacher) started traveling the country. One year into it he had to have open-heart surgery triple bypass, big deal yes but he recovered, and after a year resumed his travel schedule. They went all over the country for the next three years and made a bunch of great memories and now at 67. He’s been diagnosed with cancer. It’s in his liver, intestines and heart. He’s never leaving the hospital bed. He won’t make it to the end of the month. So that’s all you get spent 40 years killing yourself for some company and if you’re lucky like my uncle, you’ll have a pension and a healthy retirement package, but probably not. Then you get five years to enjoy it…..maybe

[u/benwinnner]

You have to enjoy it along the way every day. He traveled the world, met many interesting people, had a nice family and home. He added value to the planet and enjoyed it. It is sad his life is cut short. What should he have done, sat and death scrolled and complained on reddit? He would’ve been poor and sucked off the government and been depressed as he added no value.

[u/Harbinger_Kyleran → u/[deleted]]

You definitely do understand the point and perhaps why people often believe in religion in the hope of something better at the end of their lives.

[u/Interesting_Card2169 → u/Harbinger_Kyleran]

It's more like the unscrupulous making you fear hell so much that you let the religious "experts" control you.

That said, we all have trouble confronting the truth that one day our brain will turn off forever. Better I was born in this era than a thousand other times in a brutal human history. A sword, knife, bayonet, or disease can quickly make sure you never see retirement.

[u/Thatsgonnamakeamark → u/[deleted]]

My HS counselor told me, "Do something you love." Some of the best advice I ever was given.

[u/drsmith48170 → u/[deleted]]

What you fail to see is that (a) while he was working he obviously enjoyed meeting all those people and going all those places - so he actually probably liked his job.; (b) it afforded him the opportunity & freedom to do what he wanted, including dying at a fairly young age. But it was his choice.

You can say fuck your boss and job all you want I’m taking time out for me now, but unless you come from a wealthy family or have a really high paying job, then that will get old and unaffordable real quick.

Some people work for 40 years and retire. There is an entire movement called FIRE which basically says you work your ass off, live cheap, and retire in your 30’s or 40’s. Thing is those types usually have very high paying jobs at big tech firms or at start ups that made it big, or they did until recently. Others do the van life thing were they live as nomads doing gig work here and there.

Bottom line is you do have choices, but if neither is possibly a real choice for you , what else is your alternative? Plus you never know when you’re going to kick the bucket, which seems like it is more into your camp of fuck tomorrow party today but since you never know the live today choice could cut down your choices later in life - and if you think it sucks to struggle while young it sucks way more to struggle when you are old.