This is clearly written by someone who hasn’t considered a life partner, and children, nor old age.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t disagree with the thrust of the article, which let’s be honest serves the very business that our erstwhile author founded and runs. And again, I think that it’s a great business to run.
For my own background, after 2 years in the air force, becoming a programmer, and working as one for a corporate, then a full time church Youth Worker, I returned (this time to small) business in IT, learned to dive & sail, then travelled to the Caribbean where I did the sail and dive thang. All very “living the dream” lifestyle so far, right!
But then I sailed across the Atlantic, and met my wife who had a mortgage and two daughters in the UK. We got engaged on our first date, and married 5 months later. That was 21 years ago.
Kind’ve hard to bring up 4 daughters (we had another 2) and educate them on a foreign waiter’s (or yacht crew, or scuba instructor) wage.
The truth is for civilisation to progress we need more than just lifestyle workers. For my part I returned to IT, grafted my ass off learning whilst earning, and we moved to Sydney, Australia. Which is where I crystalised the lesson I’d learned working and living in Durban, South Africa.
The city you live in is exotic to tourists. Whether Durban, or Sydney, or East Grinstead, or English Harbour, they’re all exotic! Your home town, is foreign to most of the planet. Even Carbondale, Illinois is exotic. Well, maybe not Runcorn in the UK, but you get my drift here.
Secondly, whilst you must do what you Love! Must! Your desires will change. You’re wired that way, otherwise the species doesn’t continue. Most people want a partner, and most want children. Not all, but most. And that’s right.
At that point you realise that you don’t have to just support yourself. You have to support 4x (or 6x) yourself, and you want the very best for those you love.
You still don’t have to subscribe to the capitalist, corporate myth. I have lived a life with my kids camping, hiking, cycling, sailing, waterskiing, scuba diving, playing musical instruments, and travelling all over the world. And no, not once did we stay in hotels, or do the resort thing.
But we also have a house in the suburbs, the girls went to 2 schools, and 3 of 4 of them got University degrees.
I love my work, love our life, but there was a period of hard graft to get the skills and experience to position me in a role with such flexibility.
