He was already a university professor and fought in WWI, tho...
this post was submitted on 29 Oct 2024
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You've had lots of experiences too I'm sure
Most men that age went to war
Professor at a certain Oxford university no less.
Which is better than being professor at an Oxford university pathologically plagued with doubt.
Just wait until after WWIII and you'll be set. Shouldn't be too long now.
Did any famous people dodge the draft (and also underachieve their whole life) and succeed? I need a more achievable role model.
Those two things are successes in their own right, don't sell yourself short.
Alternatively: you are having quality life experiences, do good by your friends, and engage with your community. You don't need to compare yourself to historical overachievers.
I have to remind myself of this constantly, because our culture won't.
I am?
Just being alive counts
It does?
the overwhelming majority of humans who have ever lived "accomplished" absolute jack diddly squat, they just spent their lives picking berries and making twine.
compared to that we can "accomplish" miracles with a laptop and a browser, just go add some information on a niche wikipedia article and you've contributed more to humanity than most people could have ever dreamed of.
But wait, I'm in my 60s.
No worries, Laura Ingalls Wilder didn't finish the first Little House book until she was 65!
He spent 20 years worldbuilding and wrote Hobbit before it.
the only difference between us and tolkien is that he wrote down his daydreams
He was 38 when he started writing The Hobbit, FYI
Dang, I guess it is too late then. I was really hoping my call to action would come any day now.
Aight back to bed until I'm 46
What if you're already 46? Asking for a friend.
This still applies, what are a couple years going to do? Point is, It is never too late...
The Philosopher and Mathematician published some of his best work in his 90s: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertrand_Russell
You're doing fine.
Cant wait to write my novel The Empror of the Necklaces when im 45 and be just as successful
Ok, then I'm doing "King of the Hola Hoop"
I'll sue you for plagiarism ! this sounds uncannily like my draft The Overseer of the Torus
How did y'all manage to get a copy of my Demigod of Loops?
And what was he doing for decades PRIOR to that which possibly gave him the experience and skills........
Fighting in WW1? Let's not hope for WW3 here...
Also most people are kinda on auto-pilot/following the rails until they finish school(and that’s fine). Even the ones who did really crazy shit very likely had parental guidance which means it’s not your fault your parents didn’t craft you into a race car driver or whatever.
Once they really get out into the world they’re, what, 22-26? Older sometimes? We hit 30 and say “in 30 years I’ve done nothing” as if we had full agency and control for that entire time. You know how old the average person is when they’ve had twice the life experience of another average person who just turned 30? Probably around 40. That’s it, you’re good.
But also, when he was in his 20-40s there where 2 World Wars back to back. So what's your excuse?
Thank god no one lives in a warzone right now. That would be crayzy
The vast majority don't. The vast majority lives in India and China, which is arguably just as bad.
As a musician I used to say, “Leonard Cohen began his music career in his 30s. I can do this.”
I’m not Leonard Cohen in any imaginable way. Oh, and I’m past that point now too. :p
But never fully finished it. Should have started earlier.