12 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

Yes I read the jumbled mess. You live being just outside big cities but ended up 30kms from 7/11.

If it was a jumbled mess, this would mean you have comprehension limits.

I, like millions of others, chose to live outside a large city for reasons. being close enough to reach good food variety and entertainment, while outside without the noise, traffic, crime and pollution. Now can you understand?

A 7-11 30 kilos away isn't an inconvenience as I only occasionally go to them. All I need is close, just as it is for those other millions of country loving people.

2 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

If it was a jumbled mess, this would mean you have comprehension limits.

I, like millions of others, chose to live outside a large city for reasons. being close enough to reach good food variety and entertainment, while outside without the noise, traffic, crime and pollution. Now can you understand?

A 7-11 30 kilos away isn't an inconvenience as I only occasionally go to them. All I need is close, just as it is for those other millions of country loving people.

Makes no sense at all. Carry on.

3 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

We do we have to be doing something ? Many spend good money to go on Buddhist or Hindu retreats where the whole purpose is to do nothing.

Many of those famous retreats in Thailand are not just relaxation. They often mix Buddhism, Hindu influence, devotion, silence, discipline, and group structure.

For some people it may be a useful reset, but normal people with normal lives do not need those extremes.

The problem starts when reflection becomes dependency. Then people get attached to the retreat, the teacher, the method, and the group. Meditation can be healthy, but surrendering your own judgment to a system is something else

4 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

Wasted time is the thief. Yes, some people and distractions.

No such thing as wasted time... That's negative thinking.

When I was teen, some of my friends wish to have a bit of gray hair of their temples, I agreed, it would make us look more mature and perhaps catch more chicks — today I wish that I have less gray hair on my temples, it might get me a chance for a bit more interest from the young chicks...

Each period in life has it's own terms including ups and downs. We can enjoy happy memories from the past — like the happy hippie era for me, and presumably many others, including the ones that never left Koh Phangan after the first full Moon parties — but we cannot truly relive them, because time has changed. And from the "downs", we got experience, so we might not repeat our mistakes.

Getting older — and especially when reaching an age with plenty of free time instead of work, and preferably also free funds to spend — you have the benefit of long time's experience. Keeping yourself in reasonable shape — both mentally and physically — you can still have a great time, perhaps even as great as when you were young.

When I was introduced to a Thai party-island by my friends back in 2001 — and repeatedly came back — it was a kind of reliving the happy past, except with mobile phones and digital cameras, which a few years later were replaced by smartphones. Lots of music from the good old days — late 1960s and a pair of further decades — and lots of chicks that seemed to be interested in one. And yes, I know very well it likely was mainly my 1000-baht notes that was catching the major part of local girl's interest — and perhaps still is, but you never know — but the feeling was great; so great that I decided to give up my life back home and stay put. With all-year-summer, it became a permanently substitute for past cool experiences from that time of the year.

It's not the same as Summer-of-69 and the following years in the early 70s — but it's pretty close — you can rightfully say "Beauty of Getting Older"...❤️

I believe there's also the Thailand factor to ageing.

It can be positive or negative, depending on your chosen lifestyle, but focusing on the positives, the lower stress culture, bright sunlight, warm weather and hot women can all be beneficial to health and quality of life.

Just watching my (20+ years younger) Missus doing housework gives me pleasure, plus she's determined to ensure I eat healthy food and get regular exercise.

And simple things like strangers in the malls making eye contact, plus the ready smiles, can create a positive outlook. In my old country, men over 50 are invisible to young women, but here they see you as a person, and fleeting eye contact is not considered ato be arrestable harassment.

My friends and family back home look and act older than me, and I put this down to the Thailand factor.

5 hours ago, novacova said:

You’re overthinking it.

Keep it simple.

My young wife keeps me in the delusion of my youth.

I read it as introspection rather than overthinking.

The point seemed pretty straightforward to me.

If anything, it was the opposite of delusion.

3 hours ago, JensenZ said:

I'm going 67, and can honestly say I've never thought about any of that. I live in the moment and don't compare anything to my earlier years. I think you think too much, LOL... something my current partner thinks I'm guilty of.

To me it reads as self reflection and requires a level of intellectual ability and desire to be more self aware. Not a bad thing.

The only people I have ever heard say someone thinks too much when thinking about life in general have always seemed to lack the ability or inclination to think critically for themselves. This is different from overthinking a particularly challenging situation.

In Thailand, I have seen a number of local women tell foreign men “u tink too mutt” when they were asked simple questions they were not capable of or willing to answer. In those moments it usually came across less as insight and more as a way of shutting down the conversation. Said women were generally unintelligent, from a peasant class background, and worked in the trade. Just saying.

2 hours ago, IsmeUno said:

No such thing as wasted time... That's negative thinking.

Thats a honest reflection!

I think back to my younger teenage years. There were struggles, little money, dangers, and so much uncertainty.

Now I've swapped all that for GERD, CSVD, SSNHL, BPH, hypertension, cholesterol and trochantetric bursitis.....party on.

7 hours ago, StarOfLight said:

One thing I can say I think objectively is that the world itself, on balance and in total moves to the negative. Each year a bit more magic gone and a bit more brutishness in it's place. I'm glad I'm not twenty

I think Elon Musk Mars shoot and the whole of AI is bull<deleted> and a net loss for humanity. Technology is basically bull<deleted>.

absolutely not, technology is what brings you fresh water, food on the table, and warm your apartment, and let you travel to LOS

1 minute ago, MIke B Bad said:

I think back to my younger teenage years. There were struggles, little money, dangers, and so much uncertainty.

Now I've swapped all that for GERD, CSVD, SSNHL, BPH, hypertension, cholesterol and trochantetric bursitis....

Nothing like having letters after one's name.................

1 minute ago, Off Piste said:

Nothing like having letters after one's name.................

555....sadly, all the wrong ones.

28 minutes ago, BilllyGOAT said:

In Thailand, I have seen a number of local women tell foreign men “u tink too mutt” when they were asked simple questions they were not capable of or willing to answer. In those moments it usually came across less as insight and more as a way of shutting down the conversation. Said women were generally unintelligent, from a peasant class background, and worked in the trade. Just saying.

If some of those men actually had the ability to think a bit more for themselves, then maybe they would not have married said bar girls. Lol.

11 minutes ago, Off Piste said:

Nothing like having letters after one's name.................

Titles are everything!

57 minutes ago, Alpha84 said:

If some of those men actually had the ability to think a bit more for themselves, then maybe they would not have married said bar girls. Lol.

Not only bar girls. My wife, from an upper-middle-class family is much the same. Our son has just started 'work experience' during his college education. When I asked about the name of the company and the work they do, I was shut down. "He is working, OK! "😠

16 minutes ago, Gandtee said:

Not only bar girls. My wife, from an upper-middle-class family is much the same. Our son has just started 'work experience' during his college education. When I asked about the name of the company and the work they do, I was shut down. "He is working, OK! "😠

That sounds a bit different though. She is not flat out telling you that you have a habit of thinking too much, seems like she simply doesn't want to give you the information.

4 hours ago, IsmeUno said:

No such thing as wasted time... That's negative thinking.

Well then go sit in a cave for 120 days and report back

9 hours ago, StarOfLight said:

wardrobe upgrade

IKEA or HomePro? 555

24 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

Well then go sit in a cave for 120 days and report back

Or spend every day of your life on a forum since February 2021 and make more than 58,000 posts.

10 hours ago, Rockyroad said:

Righto then do nothing for 15 years then drop dead

Is this your conclusion from the original poster's thoughtful post?

3 hours ago, Hummin said:

Thats a honest reflection!

It's not a reflection, it's a philosophy.

2 hours ago, Rockyroad said:

Well then go sit in a cave for 120 days and report back

That wouldn't be my choice. But if I felt the need or even just wanted to do so, then it would not be a waste of time.

12 hours ago, Rockyroad said:

Righto then do nothing for 15 years then drop dead

Nice to see you living your dream life without holding back.

53 minutes ago, IsmeUno said:

It's not a reflection, it's a philosophy.

Rather opinionated if you ask me than philosophical

4 hours ago, Alpha84 said:

Titles are everything!

I misread that as titties are everything, and was about to post an 'Agree' emoji .

2 hours ago, IsmeUno said:

That wouldn't be my choice. But if I felt the need or even just wanted to do so, then it would not be a waste of time.

I agree, whatever one’s passion might be, as long as it’s not harmful to anyone, should never be considered a waste of time. So much of the beauty in this world created by humanity wouldn’t exist if everything was judged only by what others consider meaningful or worthwhile.

We can't wait to reach the age of 20. Then we stumble into life, lacking experiance, foresight and wisdom.

50 years later we are old. Now we have experiance, foresight and above all "Wisdom". Things that would have served us so well when we were younger. Now, 50 years later we have all those qualities, but no more able to apply/integrate those qualities gainfully in our lives.

I insist: Our creator (creators) have it all mixed-up. Us humans would have needed those traits when we were young and not now, us swinging in a hammock, awaiting the "grim reaper".

8 hours ago, IsmeUno said:

Bee in your bonnet again?

You have your opinions and I have mine. Is that a problem for you? Do you only like the sound of your own voice?

I guess you didn't like my comment, as you often whine about wasting time on here, but don't seem to be able to stay away. Sad.

It's not a waste of time for me. Maybe you should go to build that new workshop of your dreams, rather than to waste your time here...

At least you are not wasting your time taking a thread off the rails and personalising it.

Questioning participants’ experiences, bringing in other threads, and making it about the poster instead of the topic.

That is forum reaping.

20 hours ago, connda said:

Come to grips that all living creatures die, and then get on living in the moment instead of worrying about the future.

I think this is easier when you are very old and or ill. Getting weak and feeble... dying I'm not ready for that. Even at 80 I doubt I'll accept it.

One of the few jarring thoughts I have these days is how little quality life I have left.