Just focus on improving your performance metrics the next quarter and shipping the project to the customer smoothly and you should be in a good position for the next year.
From Pakistan, talk of contraceptives is very taboo and early cousin marriage is the norm, our population crossed ~240 million acc to latest census this year, so it's mostly us driving the global population growth.
Having a real-time view of how long we have left to live have always filled me with energy and hope, somehow. But similarly to you, many people seem to think it's macabre/bizarre.
When I was younger I thought the visualization was really cool and somehow abstract. Now that I have lived a bit more, I find it not macabre, but nonsensical. A terminal disease or an accident could be right around the corner. It seems a bit delusional to have a countable number of days "left". That only the best case scenario.
Besides, it's terribly self-centered. If you're taking care of an elderly parent or someone with a terminal disease, then it can be macabre to be so focused on your own mortality.
I don't see how it can be motivating. But perhaps I'm missing a key insight.
> When I was younger I thought the visualization was really cool and somehow abstract. Now that I have lived a bit more, I find it not macabre, but nonsensical.
That's funny, it's not until I've gotten older and closer to an actual end that I start finding it motivating and not just distracting and stressful. I guess when I was younger I was more panicked with death.
Of course it's not meant to be accurate, but meant to instill "live now" instead of "live in the future", meaning I want meet more with people, stop working as much as I do and do what I enjoy, etc.
It's not really a focus, it's something I happen to accidentally glance at in something like a weekly basis. It's not hanging on the side of my display, so I'm not really "focused on my own mortality".
I'll be up there, but should see my kids reach my current age. Hard for me to be optimistic about the world they'll inherit, though; I'm very concerned about the effects of climate change and the effects of things like diminishing ground water supply and ocean warming.
Living in the US, I'm also concerned about their ability to afford healthcare if something catastrophic happens and the lack of meaningful social safety net. We may emigrate from the US to solve these problems.
What do you think the world will be like in 40+ years that gives you hope?
Not OP but short answer: In 40 years, we are reasonably likely to have: functional immortality (cured natural death), brain augmentation, AI/machines able to do many things for us, fusion/renewable-based energy abundance, and more. In almost every measurable way the world is better now than it was 20 years ago, and 20 years before that. This is likely to continue.
Climate change is concerning, but totally addressable with technology. We absolutely can fix ground water, ocean warming, carbon ratios. It involves will, resources, and the technology to be thoughtful of how we impact the planet, instead of randomly doing it as side effects. There are some "trivial" fixes for many issues that can be implemented if we decide we want to (paint 1/4 the sahara white, solar shades in space, etc). They are not hard and if things get bad we will take them more seriously.
Healthcare affordability is essentially a policy issue, but there is no reason in 40 years that healthcare can't be effectively free with AI/Robotics driving down the cost.
> In 40 years, we are reasonably likely to have: functional immortality (cured natural death)
This is laughable to the point where I suspect trolling/parody. Regardless, there should indeed be scientific advances ahead of us in the next 40 years. With the ongoing collapse in forward-looking fertility rates, there certainly better be.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say immortality, but cures to standard diseases and ailments that lead to a shorter lifespan would be in my level of expectations.
It is conceivable that we might have organ replacement for the most commonly failing bodily organs, and cancer treatments that come close to the term "cure".
It is inconceivable that any of this will be available to 90+% of the human race, or even to most people in developed countries.
Insulin has been available to diabetics for well over a century now. And yet..... well, technology is the not the greatest obstacle.
We've not seen yet any project at that scale, which approaches terraforming. What makes you think we are capable of such? And is there anything that indicates we can obtain the natural resources to achieve them?
Life is really easy compared to 100 years ago. The trajectory is up - and short of a few nukes, EMPs, and global war the trend line is going up in almost every part of the world - compared to the previous generations.
Rising healthcare is mitigated by insurance and personal responsibility. Climate change, drinking water, ocean warming, and other global disasters cannot be mitigated alone or individually and so we limit our concerns over what we can have a direct impact upon. My kids will work, provide for themselves, care for others, and have good attitudes. Death is inevitable. Hope is essential.
This "sitting in front of a computer" career gives me (and many others) the flexibility (and luxury in $$) to have a much nicer life than the majority of the population.
If you work in timer-breaks (Pomodoro), that 5-min can always be around kids. I have been working (pretty much) remotely since 2005 when I started work with Disney.
That's f'ing depressing. I'm 43, with 39 years left, and I don't feel old but apparently 56% of people are younger, so I'm no spring chicken, lol. It'll also be maybe a miracle if I see 2060.
well with regards to exercise: I absolutely love gardening. It's not something I do "for excerise".
as for eating healthy. It's all about finding some recipes you like: finding that over on the ven diagram between healthy eating and love to eat. of course if you grew up on a completely fast food diet you're body will be way too addicted. I suppose it's like asking a heroin addict to not do heroin everyday: that may feel like torture too.
I have this longstanding and pointless goal to live to see the American Tricentennial. According to this site I'll miss it by 10 years!
It also just so happens that I'm right in the middle of my (projected) lifespan, which would certainly qualify me as middle-aged. But I refuse to identify as such because I feel Boomers turned it into such a negative phrase. Boomers just generally seemed to obsess over aging and retiring and dying in a way that I thankfully don't see among my Millenial and Gen X peers.
After dealing with a terminal illness in my family quite recently, I really have adopted the philosophy that sometimes, it's better not to know... I wonder what the practically immeasurable realized influence of contemplating one's life expectancy is on their actual life expectancy.
I'm going to take a walk outside today and try to think less about dark things.
It probably depends on whether the contemplation triggers you into healthier lifestyle behaviors or triggers you into depression and self destruction.
I would hazard a guess that most people haven't developed their philosophy on life well enough to benefit from staring into the abyss. The catch-22 is that the only way to really get to that point is to spend some time wandering through the valley of the shadow of death. Personally, I think that sacrifice is worth it, because the only thing we are all obligated to do in life is die.
I'm almost exactly 50% towards my life expectancy.
It's strange to think about. My perception of how long certain eras of my life were is...off.
Grade school felt like an absolute eternity, yet I've been with my wife longer than I went to grade school, and yet these last 13 years haven't felt that long.
I've done 41 years, and can expect to do another 42.7, based on that site. Those 41 years have felt like a damn long time, yet each year seems to go by faster than the previous, so the second half will feel shorter than the first half. On one hand, that means retirement feels closer, but on the other, it means retirement will feel shorter.
Feature Suggestion: The website could offer valuable insights on enhancing both life expectancy and quality of life. It could include practical tips, along with estimated increases in life expectancy for each suggestion.
I sort of went deep on this line of thinking a while back and made a calendar of my life[0] along with a script that updates my desktop background every day. Folks tend to find it pretty morbid, but I quite like it in my own way. I got a fair few days left (theoretically, at least) but not an infinite amount. Gives a bit more weight to what would normally be a pretty boring Thursday -- I should make sure I come out of it with something new, however small.
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[ 11.2 ms ] story [ 130 ms ] threadCool website though!
Personally I have https://www.bryanbraun.com/your-life/weeks.html printed and hanging on the wall next to me, and each week I fill another square.
Having a real-time view of how long we have left to live have always filled me with energy and hope, somehow. But similarly to you, many people seem to think it's macabre/bizarre.
Besides, it's terribly self-centered. If you're taking care of an elderly parent or someone with a terminal disease, then it can be macabre to be so focused on your own mortality.
I don't see how it can be motivating. But perhaps I'm missing a key insight.
That's funny, it's not until I've gotten older and closer to an actual end that I start finding it motivating and not just distracting and stressful. I guess when I was younger I was more panicked with death.
Of course it's not meant to be accurate, but meant to instill "live now" instead of "live in the future", meaning I want meet more with people, stop working as much as I do and do what I enjoy, etc.
It's not really a focus, it's something I happen to accidentally glance at in something like a weekly basis. It's not hanging on the side of my display, so I'm not really "focused on my own mortality".
also, the back button is broken.
I don't think it's supposed to do that.
What do you think the world will be like in 40+ years that gives you hope?
Climate change is concerning, but totally addressable with technology. We absolutely can fix ground water, ocean warming, carbon ratios. It involves will, resources, and the technology to be thoughtful of how we impact the planet, instead of randomly doing it as side effects. There are some "trivial" fixes for many issues that can be implemented if we decide we want to (paint 1/4 the sahara white, solar shades in space, etc). They are not hard and if things get bad we will take them more seriously.
Healthcare affordability is essentially a policy issue, but there is no reason in 40 years that healthcare can't be effectively free with AI/Robotics driving down the cost.
This is laughable to the point where I suspect trolling/parody. Regardless, there should indeed be scientific advances ahead of us in the next 40 years. With the ongoing collapse in forward-looking fertility rates, there certainly better be.
It is inconceivable that any of this will be available to 90+% of the human race, or even to most people in developed countries.
Insulin has been available to diabetics for well over a century now. And yet..... well, technology is the not the greatest obstacle.
And the government is getting rid of the $5 charge on prescriptions soon.
Don't tar the rest of the world with the US's brush.
Rising healthcare is mitigated by insurance and personal responsibility. Climate change, drinking water, ocean warming, and other global disasters cannot be mitigated alone or individually and so we limit our concerns over what we can have a direct impact upon. My kids will work, provide for themselves, care for others, and have good attitudes. Death is inevitable. Hope is essential.
After all, it's all about numbers.
Here is one of the many parenting ideas that is fun https://brajeshwar.com/2022/the-quirky-productivity-tip-for-...
> There are people younger and people older than you
Wow, the more you know.
as for eating healthy. It's all about finding some recipes you like: finding that over on the ven diagram between healthy eating and love to eat. of course if you grew up on a completely fast food diet you're body will be way too addicted. I suppose it's like asking a heroin addict to not do heroin everyday: that may feel like torture too.
It also just so happens that I'm right in the middle of my (projected) lifespan, which would certainly qualify me as middle-aged. But I refuse to identify as such because I feel Boomers turned it into such a negative phrase. Boomers just generally seemed to obsess over aging and retiring and dying in a way that I thankfully don't see among my Millenial and Gen X peers.
I'm going to take a walk outside today and try to think less about dark things.
I would hazard a guess that most people haven't developed their philosophy on life well enough to benefit from staring into the abyss. The catch-22 is that the only way to really get to that point is to spend some time wandering through the valley of the shadow of death. Personally, I think that sacrifice is worth it, because the only thing we are all obligated to do in life is die.
> Your next milestone is 08 Aug 2030 when you’ll be the 5th billionth person to be alive in the world.
I can't work out what they mean by this.
Or 5 billionth youngest, whatever lol
It's strange to think about. My perception of how long certain eras of my life were is...off.
Grade school felt like an absolute eternity, yet I've been with my wife longer than I went to grade school, and yet these last 13 years haven't felt that long.
I've done 41 years, and can expect to do another 42.7, based on that site. Those 41 years have felt like a damn long time, yet each year seems to go by faster than the previous, so the second half will feel shorter than the first half. On one hand, that means retirement feels closer, but on the other, it means retirement will feel shorter.
[0]: https://dcb.lu/memento-mori