Aug 14, 2022

The Retirement Tragedy

My retirement plans, and the fallacy of ‘The Rest of My Life’.

My wife asked me this morning — What do I want to do when/after I retire? And I immediately had an answer for her. I know what I want to do. And I know it well.

I listed seven things…

1. Play Ultimate Frisbee

This is pretty self-explanatory, and I want to do this at least twice a week.

2. Host Friends and Families

I have a very specific dream.

Today, my family and I don’t yet have what I very loosely label — the ‘forever home’. We’re still traveling, exploring residencies in different parts of the world; we’re still ‘bootstrapping’ — dedicating our attention and financial resources to building a business and homeschooling our children. We have apartments in Singapore, and Melbourne, and we’re now living in Silicon Valley.

Here’s my dream — at some point in life, I’d love to build a home in which there is a huge dining-and-living room, with a floor-to-ceiling glass wall (or balcony) overlooking the sea.

Just in front of it, I’d like to have a long table - not unlike a Sushi bar - offering those who sit, that view of idyllic waters.

Every day, I’ll invite different groups of friends and family to come for coffee. Better yet — friends and family will know that they can step in any day. And I’ll make the coffee.

We’ll talk — about life, the past, the present the future… we’ll talk about technology, philosophy, social justice, and micronations. We’ll not notice how a morning coffee would turn into lunch. I’ll serve wine and prepare Sushi — crafting every piece, as we enjoy day-long conversations.

3. Work on Projects that Combat Modern-day Slavery (i.e. Child Prostitution)

Self-explanatory.

4. Work on Projects to Provide Care for the Destitute

Also self-explanatory.

5. Spend a Week (every 3 months) at a Secluded Beach

Off the grid, with my wife, kids, and close friends/families.

6. Write & Publish a Book/s

At the core, I’m a writer. I enjoy writing and I’d like to write and publish (articles) at least once a week.

I’d also like to write a book. I’m not sure what that book is. But I’d like to at least complete a book that’s a compilation of letters to my children.

7. Work with Startups

I love ‘startup work’. I’m now working on the one that I founded, and I don’t think I’ll ever want to stop. Even if I’m not leading one, I’d love to help founders and builders build great companies.

Why wait?

After I listed all these, she asked (rhetorically) — Why do we wait until after we consider ourselves ‘retired’, before we pursue what we want, and dream of?

She recalled her conversation yesterday, with an elderly man who runs a (non-profit) organization that feeds the hungry in various parts of the world. You can tell that he is a man on a mission, and at his age — he doesn’t want to work on anything that he doesn’t consider meaningful and satisfying.

‘The rest of our lives’ — is a Concept, not a Guarantee.

And while we didn’t speak of this — we know that life can be unpredictable. In the past few weeks, we’ve heard of more than 5 people within our second-degree networks — that have either passed away or have been diagnosed with a form of cancer… all in their late-thirties and early forties.

We are not guaranteed ‘the rest of our lives’, and I am sure that there are many people who live all of their lives, delaying what they truly want to do — until retirement — only to have their lives end, or get upended before they get a chance to even start on those plans.

The rest of My life.

First — I’m glad that I’m already doing, or I get to do, much of what I want to do.

Second — There are a couple of things that I’m not yet doing; and I’ve kept myself from them, thinking — I don’t have time now. I have other responsibilities that should take up all the excess time I have. This needs to change immediately.

Because I’m reminded — I am not guaranteed the rest of my life.