During lunch in the cafeteria, everyone started talking about houses. I was one of the few in the group who hadn't bought a house yet, so I didn't want to interrupt and just kept my head down, focusing on my meal. The leader was sitting next to me and turned to ask when I planned to get on board. I said I didn't have any plans. He said, "Well, you should also think about what you'll do when you're old." I replied, "I'll worry about that when I live to be old." The leader exclaimed, "Wow, you're even more pessimistic than me."
Actually, it has nothing to do with being pessimistic. At the beginning of the year, when I read xintao's year-end summary for 2022, there was a section about "long-term plans" that struck a chord with me:
Recently, I had a thought: if you love programming and want to persist in it for a long time, let's say 30 years, you'll realize that some things are not important, while others are. For example, performance evaluations at work for a year, promotions in a certain year, and so on, become less important when you consider them over a span of 30 years. There are some things that are important, such as spending a year becoming proficient in an efficient code editor, improving code input speed, mastering the skill of creating beautiful images, and being able to write easily understandable documents and blogs. In a 30-year programming career, these things become important for both work and personal growth.
With this in mind, if I plan to spend 30 years doing something, many things won't seem so urgent. We'll have plenty of time to seek opportunities and train ourselves in things that will be beneficial in the long run. Things that are focused on short-term gains won't seem as important anymore.
I think in life, there aren't actually that many deadlines. If I'm not in a rush to buy a house before I turn 30, or to have a successful career before I turn 40, or to achieve social status before I turn 50. If I don't blindly conform to societal norms and choose not to confine myself, I'll have plenty of time to do things I enjoy. Basking in the sun while reading a book, coding on rainy days. Occasionally binge-watching a TV series, occasionally complaining to friends about having to work overtime tonight. Taking a sip of wine at a dinner party, but only for the sake of enjoyment.
I'm walking on the road, but I'm not in a hurry. I'm just appreciating the scenery along the way. It reminds me of the "Ode to the Red Cliffs". The guest said, "Knowing that it cannot be obtained suddenly, I entrust the echoes to the mournful wind." But I have already enjoyed the gentle breeze and bright moon, and I am already content. So for me, happiness has nothing to do with lifespan.