[bluetomcat]

In our younger years, we are primarily driven by economic necessity and social validation. Sure, programming genuinely interests me from my teenage years, but if it wasn't for attaining some level of financial independence, there's no way I could have spent most of my 20s in front of a screen, solving someone else's problems. I could have been doing it as a leisurely recreational hobby instead.

Now I'm in my late 30s, with a 5-year-old child and a well-furnished 2-bedroom flat that was paid for in cash. I don't feel like having to prove anything to anyone. I've not fallen prey to any kind of excessive material consumption. My best idea of spending quality time is assisting my son with playing with Lego, and then taking a walk in the park with a classic philosophical book from Plato or Hegel or Hume.