[extropy-chat] Boredom in old age

[MB]

Yes, there is a flavor of youthful enthusiasm here, but it
is not intentional (on my part). What I was trying to point
out is that one spends 25+ years "working" (often on someone
else's projects) and not playing. And finally, if one is
blessed with decent health, one can try playing.

I gave an example of my brother, and he's in his mid 70s.

My other brother is pushing 80. He does ice skating, model
building, studying German (he always wanted to learn the
language after he was there in WW2), reading, website
building for friends - and travel. He sleeps a lot, and my
sister in law says she thinks he may have been without
sufficient sleep all his working life. But he is busy and
AFAIK happy. The work he does now is not what he did in his
job, but he still has connections there.

I myself am only hitting this wall now, and I do wonder
"what's the point?" I don't feel very good, aches and pains.
I'm not as strong as I was, and I need more support system.
:( It's most irritating. But there are new things out there.
I've built a website for a non-profit a friend of mine
suggested, I do a bit of database work for a former boss, I
help some older less able friends to get around, and I've
taken up Shaped Note Singing. I also have become interested
in snakes and I roller skate with friends. And I have more
time (which is a darn good thing, as I have less strength!)
for my garden.

This is mostly new stuff for me, as I simply didn't have
time when I was working and raising my family.

However.... I admit, I'm not at all sure I'd want to look at
another 100 or so years of it. My health isn't what I'd
desire.

That said, I think the *real* problem is elsewhere. It is
within my mind.  My brothers have more internal drive than I
do, they are ...  smarter. They've always been that way.

None of us watch TV (except my oldest brother watches the
iceskating).  I'd rather sleep! :)))

I still think there's more neat stuff for me out there, I
just haven't found it yet.

That's one reason I (usually) lurk on this list. It's
interesting. And full of new stuff.

And my email was meant to be an encouragement.

Regards,
MB
ps. There's also a sort of mid-life thing that some men go
through - having spent all their energies on "the job".
Perhaps this is part of the original poster's trouble?

On Wed, 3 Dec 2003, BillK wrote:

> On Tue Dec 02, 2003 05:07 pm  Adrian Tymes wrote:
> > There's always more to learn and do, although one
> > might become tired of it and start justifying that
> > everything out there is all the same.
>
>
> On Tue Dec 02, 2003 09:11 pm MB wrote:
> > There's stuff out there. You can find it. It may not be what
> > you expect. It may be sort of out of your field, but nothing
> > wrong with that.
>
>
> These sentiments strike me as having the flavor of youthful enthusiasm.
> When you are younger, everything is new and exciting, you are healthy
> and fit and full of energy and you want to 'go boldly beyond the frontiers'.
>