Damnit, I knew I should've been taking notes - I don't remember hardly any of the second 20. Maybe I'll just take up checkers instead of dwelling on the past.
Live Long and Prosper, And Here's Why
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Live long and prosper? I always figured the answer to that riddle was “compound interest” 
Many good answers here!
I try to cut away the unnecessary and focus on what is important rather than all the contemporary nonsense
that is thrown upon us.
I-phones, social media, electric bicycles and endless advertising, I don't need that.
I try to cut away the unnecessary and focus on what is important rather than all the contemporary nonsense
that is thrown upon us.
I-phones, social media, electric bicycles and endless advertising, I don't need that.
I’ll just tell you what my daddy told me... “Son, life is a shit sandwich and every day you take another bite!” I was about 5 years old when he told me that. At least I get to enjoy a pipe between those bites.
Anyone have any nice shit sammie/tobacco pairings?
Anyone have any nice shit sammie/tobacco pairings?
Some things are too important to be taken seriously.
As I get older, I find I do not stress as much or at least as long about things. My temper especially seems to cool off more quickly.
Thing is, I'm not sure if it is perspective or absent mindedness.
Used to be. Now? All bets are off.Live long and prosper? I always figured the answer to that riddle was “compound interest”
We've had negative interest rates for a few years here in Sweden (it's back to 0 now this year).
The key to, if not necessary to living long, at least to prosper has still been the concept of compound interest, only it should be applied to your investments such as stocks and funds, not to savings in a bank account (which should be kept to a minimum imho).
There is a Russian saying that "when you are little you believe you will grow old and become wise. But the you realize that you just got old." Don't know if I agree with it, aging may not give wisdom (definitely not without hard work to achieve it) but it gives perspective and larger frame of reference which makes it easier to handle what life throws at you.
Well, capital accumulation in equities is not "interest," compound or otherwise. And incentivizing people into vastly different risk profiles (equities) to chase return has a very poor track record, societally speaking.
The political creation of these artificially low interest rates is mostly done to fund governmental borrowing at a level that will make future generations have to decide between default, currency debasement, or extreme repayment schemes. It will be all I can do to guide my own kids to navigate that when it happens.
Life is a learning experience and you never stop learning until you die.
Upon occasion I have been asked, "If you could change one thing in your life, what would it be?" The answer is always the same, "Nothing." If you change one thing then you change what you are now. No probably. No maybe. From a material standpoint, that may be acceptable if the change made you rich but what about you as a person? Would you have married the same person (Okay, I get it. Some of you guys would definitely not have married the same person and would be better for it.)
Personally, I look at what I have now and would not give up my wife (of 45 years), our four children or our nine grandchildren to change anything in my past.
Upon occasion I have been asked, "If you could change one thing in your life, what would it be?" The answer is always the same, "Nothing." If you change one thing then you change what you are now. No probably. No maybe. From a material standpoint, that may be acceptable if the change made you rich but what about you as a person? Would you have married the same person (Okay, I get it. Some of you guys would definitely not have married the same person and would be better for it.)
Personally, I look at what I have now and would not give up my wife (of 45 years), our four children or our nine grandchildren to change anything in my past.
In my experience the concept of and term "compound interest" is used to describe any form of investment or capital placement where the capital gain (be it interest or dividend or other) is reinvested and added to the principal sum/original investment.
Investment in equity always carry risk and should not be done lightly. However if you want to prosper in your old age: long term saving in a diversified , "low risk", non leveraged portfolio of index funds, interest funds and large stocks etc. has a much higher chance of getting you there and a better track record than saving in a bank account. Reinvesting and time is still the key.
The negative interest rates have been used to avoid deflation and the economic disaster that would bring, but yeah future generations will have it rough, I am in complete agreement with you there.
The one time I was legally and medically dead, there was no tunnel, only an aura of bright light and my grandson calling "Grandpa come back!"
Luckily, for me anyway, I had a crew led by a young nurse who wouldn't quit. They busted their butts for 25+ minutes. Changed my philosophical bent. No time for looking back now. If I didn't learn from my mistakes as I made them, the time/distance thing isn't gonna change anything. And, "if only I ..." is a terrible and depressing waste of one's time.
Looking back. To stay on topic.
I learned, at the time, that the best place for a flat-line is in a critical care cardiac ward.
Luckily, for me anyway, I had a crew led by a young nurse who wouldn't quit. They busted their butts for 25+ minutes. Changed my philosophical bent. No time for looking back now. If I didn't learn from my mistakes as I made them, the time/distance thing isn't gonna change anything. And, "if only I ..." is a terrible and depressing waste of one's time.
Looking back. To stay on topic.
I learned, at the time, that the best place for a flat-line is in a critical care cardiac ward.
After being shot, blown out of a control room, almost burnt up 5 stories up a cracking furnace, don’t worry about it, when your time is up it’s up.
I have learned to be grateful for all the good and bad that I encounter in life. With out pain it is easy not to appreciate the small joys of life. A wise man once said "cant never can and wont never will". I dont know about living long, If i would have known i would live this long I might have taken better care of myself. Either way it took me most of my 20's to figure out that chasing that dollar doesnt make life any easier once you have it. The best way I know is to be content with what the good Lord has given me, all things pass and you are left with a memory its up to you how to view it.
Some highly memorable posts here. A wide array of perspectives. Many years of life represented, and not just among the senior members. Nourishing food for thought. These and others, feel welcome to continue the discussion.
I think a better outlook is to prosper then live long enough to enjoy it. I'm definitely in a transition mode the past couple of years. Still working, not add much, and taking/making more time for the more important things in life. I think my two little granddaughters have had more to do with that than anything else. Being able to see and share their love, innocence, purity and happiness is by far the best thing I've had in this life.
My Father on his death bed said to me quote. 'You know Simon, dying is frightfully boring. I wouldn't recommend you have anything to do with it'. That has always struck me as very sage advice.
My best moment in life is when I taught my Grandson to play smoke his cob, filled with M&Ms, then how to whizz off the porch trying to hit the cat.
Gaining years in life is like taking off in an airplane while looking down from a window seat. The runway is a blur, but every year the point of view gets a little bit higher. More comes into view the higher you go. You can see the victories and the mistakes, you can see how everything connects and where the water flows. At age 30, I have a whole lot to learn. But this is the first time I can look back on the first decade of my life that I was largely calling the shots for. I get myself into trouble when I start to analyze it instead of accepting it, practicing gratitude, and continuing on.
Being an arty person doesn't help much either. I put everything I have into my work to a fault, and sometimes it still puts me on my ass. I'm now learning that is simply just how it's going to go sometimes, and that I shouldn't tie up my self worth to my occupation or my art. It's hard to separate those two things when my work is my art, and my art comes from within my self. Truly trying to stay in the mindset of the present is really all we can do. I still require a lot of practice with this. Thanks for the thread @mso489 and to all who have responded, I've truly enjoyed reading.
Being an arty person doesn't help much either. I put everything I have into my work to a fault, and sometimes it still puts me on my ass. I'm now learning that is simply just how it's going to go sometimes, and that I shouldn't tie up my self worth to my occupation or my art. It's hard to separate those two things when my work is my art, and my art comes from within my self. Truly trying to stay in the mindset of the present is really all we can do. I still require a lot of practice with this. Thanks for the thread @mso489 and to all who have responded, I've truly enjoyed reading.
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