It seems that in America, we attach too much of our identity and life's purpose to our occupation. It's no wonder that people have a hard time in retirement. The embarrassment of retirement comes from some fear that one is no longer useful to society. I think the seeds of a happy retirement are planted much earlier. You have to cultivate interests and relationships outside of your career. I plan to approach retirement as a swap where my paid career becomes a hobby and hobbies become my full time occupation. A soft transition will hopefully make this easier and more fulfilling.

There is an obsession with working until you die. Take no vacation either or minimally. As a European living in the USA I say No. I'll retire as soon as I can support myself permanently without needing to work. Can't wait for that day. In the meanwhile, I'll use all my vacation and never logon to work during it.

You're still playing the game then if it's "do something undesirable until I can finally do only what I want." You'd be much better to change the rules and just live without the delineation.

Sounds great until the little complication of needing money to live.

Can't find the original story but having read it in my formative years, it just echoed "so true":

  https://bemorewithless.com/the-story-of-the-mexican-fisherman/

I read the story of the fisherman on the wall in a Jimmy John's sandwich shop, not sure if it was the first time I'd seen it, but I associate it with them.

I think if sheer irony could cause space-time to collapse into a black hole, that's the closest I've seen.

This is the Jimmy Johns that was outed as making their employees sign non-competes.

The Jimmy Johns majority owned by "Roark Capital Group".

The Jimmy Johns that was warned by the FDA to stop selling spoiled produce with E. Coli in 2020.

https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-c...

According to the FDA, they engaged in the classic response to a QA failure - they did a "one-time cleaning and sanitation at Iowa based Jimmy John’s restaurants" but "neither you nor your parent company proposed any corrective actions to prevent these, or other Jimmy John’s restaurants, from receiving adulterated produce".

I used to like their sandwiches though. They donate millions to charity, as well, just like a humble fisherman.

That's good until the fisherman breaks a leg and his family then goes hungry. The ideal lies somewhere between the extremes.

Much appreciated!

“ I must read this, learn that, keep tabs on who’s who, and never overlook any chance to compete for research-project funding.”

This is the mind of the modern academic. At least in industry I can feign incompetence at the politics side and my manager will handle it for me as long as I keep delivering the goods.

Not that it’s the best way to advance, but it seems there’s more opportunity to “be undeniable” outside academia, and I see this as the only way to not waste ones brain on politics.