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I didn't get that at all. In particular, he lists several regrets that those dying experience about their lives. My impression is that many of those regrets stem from spending too much time on things that others, rather than the self, find important in life. Speaking for myself, there was a time in my life when I wanted to create and raise a family, wanted to own a house, because that's what people told me I should do. Yet here I am in my 30s. I have a happy relationship that for various reasons isn't aimed at having kids or owning property. I rent an apartment in a co-op community which, while it certainly offers its own challenges, also brings rich memories that I may not have had were I living in my own house in the suburbs. I'm bootstrapping a software company, which is significantly easier without a mortgage and 2.5 additional mouths to feed. And I'm happy. I wake up when I like, put in 20 or so hours per week of real work, then spend time reading or exercising or working on fun projects. That's not to say I'm better than anyone else, and not everyone has the luxury to choose as I have. But I'd likely not be here, with the freedoms and lack of stress I have had I chosen the life others said I should, which is what I took away from reading this. And it's not all easy. Sometimes I look at those of you who are younger and have done more in your 20s than I could ever imagine, and question my choices. Then I realize that my life brings its own rewards, and it's good to externally be reminded of that sometimes. There are certainly plenty of other reminders that someone with my talents could likely be raking in lots of money right now if they pursued a different path, and sometimes those are hard to disregard. :) Also, as someone who has chosen to not pursue the rat race, I often feel pushback and criticism from those who have chosen it, as if my choices directly threaten their own. If an article seems more boastful than maybe it should, perhaps it's a reaction against having one's personal choices questioned, dissected and ultimately put down by someone working 80 hours a week with a family to support and a mortgage to pay, attacking others with the Gaul to not have taken on those obligations. Again, nothing wrong with our individual choices, and I don't put anyone down for making them. I just often find that not everyone shares that view. |
great response