25 Years of Work Remaining :(

I’m lazy. Everyone knows it. Nothing pleases me more than the knowledge that I don’t have to work. I also like money, which is why I have detailed retirement plans to make myself secure for old age. Alas, these two urges – love for money and laziness – contradict each other. If I wasn’t lazy, I would work hard for a few years and enjoy the rest of my life. If I didn’t love money, I wouldn’t work so hard (comparatively) to secure my future. Aaaaah!

Will it Ever End?
Will it Ever End?

My retirement age is set for 55. By that time my savings would be around 6-7 Cr. which would equate to 1 Cr. in today’s value. Meaning I can peacefully live off the interest forever and ever. But…I’m only 30 right now! I have 25 years of work left. Good god! How am I going to stand it? I can’t…I can’t. I have to!

As of now this is my biggest problem in life. A world consuming, day blackening, sitting heavily on my shoulders kind of problem. The only reprieve is the two days I get off every week and then back to the grindstone again. 2 hours every day :( . It’s enough to make me throw my hands up in despair and wonder whether any of this is worth it.

How do others keep silent? Many work far harder than me for longer hours, in more stressful jobs and don’t complain about the years stretching away ahead of them. Am I just lazier than them? Do they not like to think of the future and prefer to just take each day as it comes? Maybe their work is interesting! But few people truly enjoy their work – most do it out of compulsion. So why is it me that complains the loudest?

And these are the best years of my life I’m spending working. No body ache, or joint pain, or weakness. It should be the other way around! These should be carefree happy years with no worries about getting up in the morning, and no pressure. Reality is all screwed up. Is there any wonder I turn to the virtual world for some sanity?

I know what you’re thinking. “Life’s tough bub!” Yeah, don’t I know it. But that doesn’t mean I can’t bitch and groan all the way right? I mean unless people like me take the effort of trying to find a way out and making our lives work free, how will we ever reach that oh-so-highly-desirable state? Maybe one day…one far distant silvery day in the future…we’ll have advanced sufficiently in AI and robotics to have machines grow our food, build houses, and cater to every whim and fancy. Maybe even wipe my butt. Everything will be available in abundance and free since money itself will have no value. But I won’t live to see that shining dawn. Oh woe is me!

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24 thoughts on “25 Years of Work Remaining :(”

  1. You should have become a house husband. The only thing you’d really have to do is take of the house and greet your wife with a cocktail. :P Unless that’s too much work. :D

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  2. I hear that. I live in China with my wife trying to do the same thing. Coming up with a retirement plan is nerve shaking too considering how anything can change in an instant with currencies, property value, and anything else at that. I look at all these people that invested in 401K plans and are counting on Social Security. I’m not saying SS is going anywhere (not saying it anyway) but the value of of these things really have gone to waste compared to what it should have been with just inflation alone. I chose China because the economy is growing but it’s not exactly dreamland over here. It gives me a better oppertinity to save since the basics are cheap and (USD to RMB) the prices are pretty much the same for luxeries… which I opt out of because within one year I want to buy a house in cash. Expensive TV’s, compute.rs and such are tempting every week but I resist (and it’s depressing sometimes)

    What’s worse is that i need to supress every urge I have not to spend. I’m happy with my salary (never will be happy enough though :)), but I also, like you, want to retire before i’m old and tired. I want to reap the rewards before my body starts giving out. I dont want retirement to simply be “money to preserve my life through old age”. But I guess even that is more than a lot of people get. I’m 28 and I want to retire now! But retirement for everybody I think is different. I don’t ever want to stop “working” in a sense. I’d just love to have the financial independence and security so my mind can be at peace and I feel free.

    Here is what I’m having trouble with. These people in China SPEND like I have never seen! Since things are getting better in their eyes, it’s open season. They make pretty much the same salary as the US does (in RMB not USD) but they will just blow money and I can’t get over it. The new I Phone is 5,000 RMB give or take and a “decent” salary for a University grad is like 3,500 RMB a month… But they do it! My TV was 1,700 RMB but I dont mind because in my mind it’s only 300$ (and between that and a laptop that’s all I need to enjoy myself). These are people who’s parents and grandparents saved so much money, and now they’re just spending like it’s the end of the world. The “face” is very important here but it still blows my mind. I make substantialy more than most people here and I walk around with a phone that cost 150 RMB, while supermarket workers are flashing a 5,000 RMB phone… and a BMW is like half a million RMB but I see them everywhere.

    Anyway after participating in your “Tipping” posts this is a refreshing little break :). Anyway for me it’s just more important to have the basics taken care of (like a house, cars, etc.) that way when i have kids there are no worries. I don’t want to be old, feeble, and pissed off. I want to be young, free, and rewarded.

    But I feel like i’m losing my youth in the process sometimes…

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    • In reply to Ryan

      Surprising how I missed your post Ryan. I don’t remember seeing any notifications. Sorry for the long delay in replying!

      I think it’s a tragedy of life that we humans ironically work harder than any animal. I’m not aware of any other creature that toils the way we do to store up stuff. But that’s because we’re also more aware. A basic aspect of the human condition I think…

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  3. You’re bored and have plenty of time to do nothing; which is why you have time to wonder how you will get through 25 years. if you were working at an 8 to 12 hr job you would have no time to be worrying about all this.

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  4. Maybe it gives them a feeling of freedom and independence. Or makes them feel wanted/needed/useful.

    I seem to have ample supplies of all of these inbuilt into me…hence the repulsion to honest toil :)

    How do you know they are inbuilt into you? You never know until you lose them.

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