The Single Life

[Makers!*]

So, I've been wondering what the incentive is to leave the single life. I could, for instance, substitute teach through the school year and firefight during the summer. This would give me enough money to pay rent on an apartment and leave plenty of time to fish. Of course, providing for a family down the road might be difficult. But cut a family out of the equation and everything works out, right? So far as a I can tell, a life well-lived comes from purpose, not propagating an overcrowded planet without committing all your time and energy into providing for a child, which while noble, is not something I see myself capable of properly doing. Anyway, I think about this stuff, maybe other people do too. The future is approaching.

[starla]

As long as you die young, you're all set. Live too long and the flaws in your plan are eventually exposed.

[Makers!*]

As long as you die young, you're all set. Live too long and the flaws in your plan are eventually exposed.

I'd like explantion. My plan contains no flaws. It is thoroughly thought through.

Or, I'll just die in a fire. That's fine too.

[Madrigal]

The future is approaching.

The approaching future is no longer and has become the now, and once I post this, the now will be not-now. Your future will be past.

ARE YOU FUCKING READY FOR THIS

[Thevenin]

I'd like explantion. My plan contains no flaws. It is thoroughly thought through.

Or, I'll just die in a fire. That's fine too.

Unless you fall crazy in love. That can really mess up the best of plans. Happened to me and I've never regretted it.

[starla]

I'd like explantion. My plan contains no flaws. It is thoroughly thought through.

Or, I'll just die in a fire. That's fine too.

Live long enough, and you become the child you need to provide for.

[Makers!*]

The approaching future is no longer and has become the now, and once I post this, the now will be not-now. Your future will be past.

ARE YOU FUCKING READY FOR THIS

[Hephaestus]

Live long enough and several things are going to encroach on your Eden. One is that you've going to find it harder to find work in either of those occupations. It won't matter that you're still able to do the work, you'll just be too old. Our culture hates old people. The only thing worse than an old person in public (eww. Gross.) is an old person working, because the old person working is a real buzzkill. It suggests that retirement might be an illusion, and that goes against the culture of "bust your ass while young and lounge while old".

The next flaw is that, well, our culture has a predatory relationship with youth. It's obsessed with exploiting young workers, making them destroy themselves and their lives in exchange for the false promise of a life of leisure in retirement. The reason it's a false promise is that most people can't possibly achieve it. Our culture secretly (open secret) hopes most of them will die young after being squozen for all the work that can be wrung out of them so that those higher up in the pyramid can live the dream they like to sell.

Once the pincers come in, you'll be looking for better work with better pay in different fields, but wont be able to get it because you'll be competing against people who were angling for those positions all the years you spent working your stated plan. And they won't be getting those positions either because they won't be as exploitable as the next cohort.

You're already fucked. But staying single and childless will help keep you from being as desperate and depressed about it as you would be if you were struggling to support a kid and a family. The upside isn't the economic freedom but the reduction in casualties.

[msg_v2]

It blows my mind that there are people out there who have to support kids on 8 bucks an hour. Unbelievable.

[skip]

Growing old alone sucks.