Met a guy in our complex yesterday. One month ago, he did the same thing as we did a year ago. Left his job behind, sold his house, simplified… never going to buy a house again. As we talked I was pleasantly surprised to hear someone whose views and actions were so close to mine.
I asked, “So where did you work?”
“Corrections.”
As he was elaborating on enjoying life while he could, he mentioned that in his industry, the average lifespan was 59 years. I found that difficult to believe so I went home and googled…
“What is the life expectancy of a correctional officer?
And what about other high stress jobs?
“’The average police officer dies within five years after retirement and reportedly has a life expectancy of twelve years less than that of other people.”
But surely people coming from the corporate world have wonderfully long lifespans?
My experience is times have changed over the last few decades. And I suspect the cumulative stress of working in some of the worst toxic corporate cultures is taking a toll. Not as severe as working as a prison guard or cop… but something… sucking the life out of you… literally.