Getting Old - How worried are you and options?

[williamalex1]

Are you talking about me?

mibbie

 

[rosecott]

mibbie

I know he's about a foot taller than me but I know how to deal with that.

 

[srixon 1]

On Wednesday I was rear ended causing minor damage to the back of my one year old car that only has 5200 miles on the clock. If that had happened five years ago I would have been extremely (infraction) about it thinking it was the end of the world. Fast forward to now, and having had, and come through a life threatening illness I look at life completely differently. The collision caused no injuries, and the only things hurt were the pride and the insurance premiums of the girl that ran into the back of me. I actually said to the girl to try not to worry about it as the cars can be fixed. (Give it 20 years and both cars will probably be on the scrap heap anyway). Life is too short to worry about some things that come along to “test” us.

 

[Swinglowandslow]

Why does life have to have a meaning? It just is.
You're looking around for something you want that can't be found. (To borrow from a great philosopher)

Or maybe, understood?

Then again, maybe one day?

Because, someone is always looking!

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Have I looked ahead and asked myself where I’d like to be buried or cremated? Have I looked ahead to where we might have the most wider familial support if things get trickier as the clock ticks? Have I asked myself if I see us living in our current house when we are in our 80s…and if the answer is No, then as we must have moved then where will we be? How easily could we make new friends in our 60s and 70s if we have moved, what would we do with ourselves?

Yes I have to all. Not in a morbid way, but with a hat on that tells me that answers to such questions will inform what we do in the next five years. But I don’t obsess about these questions.

Just over 3yrs ago ago my Mrs retired from the NHS (basically as a result of a serious illness that she is living in remission with) I took a 6months period of unpaid leave first half 2019, and we travelled down-under to Oz, NZ and SE Asia for over four months. The cost of that plus my loss of earnings was very significant, but we did it because we weren’t getting any younger; because with my companies support and my wife’s retirement lump sum we could; and because with her condition we did not and still do not know what is around the next corner of life, when having money might be great, but if you can’t spend it…

We returned home from our travels in June 2019…and just look what was round the corner of 2019/2020.

Live life.

 

[Tashyboy]

There’s an old saying “ leave this life full of memories, not dreams. Bottom line. Get things done as SILH did during his 4 months in SE Asia. Time spent worrying about things that might not happen is time wasted doing things that should be happening.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

There’s an old saying “ leave this life full of memories, not dreams. Bottom line. Get things done as SILH did during his 4 months in SE Asia. Time spent worrying about things that might not happen is time wasted doing things that should be happening.

Absolutely. Looking back on our travels and the fabulous experiences we had, has been one of the key things that has helped us cope with the last two years. But we appreciate how very fortunate we were, that we are in the very small minority who could do it, but there are much smaller things we can all do today or tomorrow that build memories - and possibly more importantly that can start rebuilding broken relationships.

So that friend or family member you have fallen out with, or simply haven’t spoken to for too long…give them a call - today if you can. And tell the ones close to you and that you love that you do - telling someone that you love them and that you care might be awkward - but it is free, and if you don’t or put it off, then one day you might regret not doing it.

 

[Blue in Munich]

Absolutely. Looking back on our travels and the fabulous experiences we had, has been one of the key things that has helped us cope with the last two years. But we appreciate how very fortunate we were, that we are in the very small minority who could do it, but there are much smaller things we can all do today or tomorrow that build memories - and possibly more importantly that can start rebuilding broken relationships.

So that friend or family member you have fallen out with, or simply haven’t spoken to for too long…give them a call - today if you can. And tell the ones close to you and that you love that you do - telling someone that you love them and that you care might be awkward - but it is free, and if you don’t or put it off, then one day you might regret not doing it.

No. Not happening. If I've fallen out with them there will be a very good reason why, and the fact that I might shuffle off this mortal coil won't alter that fact one iota.

Fully agree with the point re travelling, or doing things you want to experience, but not that one.

 

[stefanovic]

Why does life have to have a meaning? It just is.
You're looking around for something you want that can't be found. (To borrow from a great philosopher)

You have missed the whole point.
More than anybody else I suspect, Richard Dawkins has proved that life has NO meaning.
In one of his TV documentaries he is shown out walking and reflecting on this by saying that we just accept we are here and can now think about the wonder of life.
If you have not read and got the point of his masterpiece The Selfish Gene, then do so.
You will need to take the 'big flip' to look at life from a completely different aspect. Not everyone has been successful, but if you are then it's the most amazing experience.

BTW, when it comes to philosophers, philosophy is now dead.

 

[RichA]

You have missed the whole point.
More than anybody else I suspect, Richard Dawkins has proved that life has NO meaning.
In one of his TV documentaries he is shown out walking and reflecting on this by saying that we just accept we are here and can now think about the wonder of life.
If you have not read and got the point of his masterpiece The Selfish Gene, then do so.
You will need to take the 'big flip' to look at life from a completely different aspect. Not everyone has been successful, but if you are then it's the most amazing experience.

BTW, when it comes to philosophers, philosophy is now dead.

There is a world of difference between everyone else in the room missing your point and everyone else in the room either disagreeing with your point or just not being interested in it after it's 6th reiteration.

 

[stefanovic]

I have no other agenda than what has been revealed by science.
I am not interested in faith or philosophy described from an age before science.
I think some members here need to grow up and accept reality.
My main point is that if you have lived to grow old like me you have been privileged.
I've had many cousins die young.
What else do you want? What else do you expect?
I hear it mentioned about an afterlife, like 'where do you think we go when we die?'
Not content with the rich bounty of life itself, they want an afterlife as well!
Total and utter delusion.

 

[Crow]

I have no other agenda than what has been revealed by science.
I am not interested in faith or philosophy described from an age before science.
I think some members here need to grow up and accept reality.
My main point is that if you have lived to grow old like me you have been privileged.
I've had many cousins die young.
What else do you want? What else do you expect?
I hear it mentioned about an afterlife, like 'where do you think we go when we die?'
Not content with the rich bounty of life itself, they want an afterlife as well!
Total and utter delusion.

Have you ever considered putting yourself forward as a new messiah?
The tone of your posts leads me to think that you consider yourself as such.

 

[Tashyboy]

I have no other agenda than what has been revealed by science.
I am not interested in faith or philosophy described from an age before science.
I think some members here need to grow up and accept reality.
My main point is that if you have lived to grow old like me you have been privileged.
I've had many cousins die young.
What else do you want? What else do you expect?
I hear it mentioned about an afterlife, like 'where do you think we go when we die?'
Not content with the rich bounty of life itself, they want an afterlife as well!
Total and utter delusion.

Looking at me dad with Luekemia and FIL with Dementia, I would not call it a privilege. What I have said having worked in the health side of things is “ get things done”. I do not have any inclination whatsoever thinking about getting old. I To have seen to many folk go before there time. Some of it self inflicted, some of it illness, some of it suicide.
If I was to give one bit of advice to anyone, that would be to get a bucket list drawn up and get doing it ?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

No. Not happening. If I've fallen out with them there will be a very good reason why, and the fact that I might shuffle off this mortal coil won't alter that fact one iota.

Fully agree with the point re travelling, or doing things you want to experience, but not that one.

Obviously I do not know circumstances and they may well be very painful, upsetting or difficult, but I can only urge you to reconsider. I know far too many folk who wish very deeply that they had made up or said sorry but didn’t - and now when it is not possible very much regret not doing so. We can all say sorry or forgive, the other party might not reciprocate but at least we have done what we can.

 

[Blue in Munich]

Obviously I do not know circumstances

No, you don't.

and they may well be very painful, upsetting or difficult,

Yes they were.

but I can only urge you to reconsider.

Won't be happening.

I know far too many folk who wish very deeply that they had made up or said sorry but didn’t - and now when it is not possible very much regret not doing so. We can all say sorry or forgive, the other party might not reciprocate but at least we have done what we can.

This one won't; anyone that tells someone close to me that the someone was the cause of my mother's cancer doesn't deserve the time of day from me. The party involved gets common courtesy, but no more, which in my book is more than they are entitled to. Any apology needs to come from that party to me and the someone they abused, not the other way round.

Clear enough for you?

 

[PhilTheFragger]

Have you ever considered putting yourself forward as a new messiah?
The tone of your posts leads me to think that you consider yourself as such.

He’s not the messiah, he’s a very Darwinian boy.

With apologies to M Python

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

No, you don't.



Yes they were.



Won't be happening.



This one won't; anyone that tells someone close to me that the someone was the cause of my mother's cancer doesn't deserve the time of day from me. The party involved gets common courtesy, but no more, which in my book is more than they are entitled to. Any apology needs to come from that party to me and the someone they abused, not the other way round.

Clear enough for you?

Yes perfectly clear. Apologies for upsetting you. I was only suggesting from my own personal and wider experience.

 

[backwoodsman]

You have missed the whole point.
More than anybody else I suspect, Richard Dawkins has proved that life has NO meaning.
In one of his TV documentaries he is shown out walking and reflecting on this by saying that we just accept we are here and can now think about the wonder of life.
If you have not read and got the point of his masterpiece The Selfish Gene, then do so.
You will need to take the 'big flip' to look at life from a completely different aspect. Not everyone has been successful, but if you are then it's the most amazing experience.

BTW, when it comes to philosophers, philosophy is now dead.

Richard Dawkins is an opinionated pompous nob.

 

[Hobbit]

Richard Dawkins is an opinionated pompous nob.

And many of his theories on gene selection are at odds with many of his peers, who described his gene selection theory as narrow and doesn’t consider a number of other factors which are proven to influence evolution.

 

[Voyager EMH]

Richard Dawkins is an opinionated pompous nob.

Not his fault. though. Those characteristics are in his genes.

God knows where my atheist gene came from.