Early-Retirement Update
To me the emphasis on the FIRE community should be on the FI part of the equation.<p>For many people in many countries, there is no concept of &quot;retirement&quot;. It seems so silly to me that people would go and say &quot;I&#x27;ll work really hard and do all this stuff for 40 years so I can sit around and do nothing for another 30 years&quot;.<p>What&#x27;s the point? It&#x27;s unsustainable. It&#x27;s like doing a crash diet - it may work for a minute, but to have long-term results you need to have a lifestyle change.<p>Focusing on financial independence means you can achieve better long-term results. Living within your means over the course of 80 years instead of balls-to-the-wall for 30-40 and then a quick and silent death for 30 seems to be a better course of action and would lead to longer lifespan.<p>Once you reach financial independence - whatever that means to you - you can take on other interests. It could be working at a startup, or a non-profit, or volunteering, or gardening. You name it. But financial independence enables such things. FI &gt; RE.