This idea of "contributing to society" boggles me way more than "early retirement" ever could.
I mean, it's not that I don't want to give back to society, it's just that I can think of so many ways that aren't a job to do it.
Volunteer at the Humane Society - sure, I can do that while I have a job, but wouldn't volunteering there from 8-5 be even more of a contribution?
Or how about running a program that brings board games or social activities to an old folks' home?
What about just living your own, individual, best life? And, through that, impact the day-to-day lives of people you meet that day?
The way that I've often seen the "contribute to society" argument play out isn't actually about giving back to society - it's about the person's fear of their own mortality and "lack of legacy".
But I find two problems with that.
1. Why would working 8-5 mean a legacy? How is that a legacy? What does that "legacy" even mean or say about the person who's achieved it? That they can work 8-5 with a lunch break? There are so many other ways to make a legacy - ways that would be more impactful. Like volunteering 8-5 at a humane society.
2. Why would I care what others think or remember about me if I'm dead? I'm dead. If they insult me, it's not like I can hear them. If they praise me, it's not like I can hear them. Even if I make a huge difference in the lives of several people, I will still, eventually, be forgotten. And what does that matter to me then? I'm long dead-and-buried by then.