The New Old Age⁠↗

The business consultant William Bridges argued that every transition involves a period of loss, then a period in the neutral zone, and then a period of rebirth. The loss that comes with retirement can be brutal. Some highly successful people mourn the life that gave them meaning and made them the center of the room. People in the neutral zone don’t yet know who the new version of themselves will be. They report feeling hollow, disoriented, empty.

As the fellows shed the optimization mindset, time stretches out. There isn’t a long-term career trajectory to manage. There’s more freedom to ask What do I want to do today?

If you make only a half-assed commitment to your work, you’re settling for mediocrity in an endeavor that will necessarily absorb a large chunk of your life. And if you decide to prioritize pleasure, you’ll spend your days consuming random experiences that you’ll measure on shallow, aesthetic grounds—was today tasty or bland? You’ll accumulate a series of temporary experiences that don’t add up to anything substantial.

Most of us don’t just want simple happiness; we want intensity. We want to feel that sense of existential urgency you get when you are engrossed in some meaningful project, when you know you are doing something important and good.