The biggest pushback that people have with me is my desire to pursue my career objective after FIRE.
No. The biggest pushback is that you are talking without listening. Yes, the FIRE pitfalls you highlight are possible, but by listening to the lessons of others on this forum they can all be avoided.
You say FIRE means doing nothing. I am FIREd and I am far more active than I was when I was working. My working life was walking from cubicle to meeting room and back. I now walk from forest to mountain top.
You say FIRE is boring. My FIREd life is exhilarating. I find new and exciting things to do every day, I travel all over the world (when there isn't a pandemic), I am developing new skills and making new friends.
You talk about living off a "pile of nuts", or an "incredibly slim stipend". I spend as much as I want and yet my investments would allow me to spend
double what I am spending now. But my life is so fulfilling I can't imagine what I could spend more money on. I donate thousands of dollars to charity because I have too much money to spend on myself and my family in one lifetime. I could literally light $1,000 a week on fire just to watch it burn and I still would never run out of money.
You say FIRE can damage my EGO, and causes loneliness and depression. I was diagnosed with clinical depression at age 14 and lived with it until about a year before FIRE. Since FIRE I have been off my old depression meds and am happier than I've ever been. I spend more time with friends and family, so I am less lonely. My EGO was never associated with my job but with my contributions to the lives of those around me. I am now able to contribute more to the lives of my friends, family, and community so my EGO is better than ever.
You say we are "depressed cubicle dwellers". I had a fulfilling career that allowed me to make a difference in many people's lives. I had great managers and co-workers. But the freedom to travel the world, spend more time with friends and family, learn new and exciting things, help people through volunteering, and live a full life was a vision better than the best job in the world. The 3 years I've been FIREd have been better than the best vision I had of FIRE.
The frustrating thing is that I'm not special in any way. I learned about many of these possibilities by reading what other people posted here and on other FIRE blogs. Because I listened and learned from them I was able to construct a full life that would make almost anyone happy, and with more financial security than any job can provide. You are here. You found a place that has many of the keys to your best possible life. You can do the same thing, but only if you listen to the people who have gone before and already created a map to avoid the pitfalls you highlight. The map is right in front of you but you won't look at it. That's the horrible tragedy of this thread. If you would just *read* your best life would be available to you. But instead of reading you try to tell everyone that the wonderful FIREd life they're actually living isn't really there. It's just so tragic.