Found a blog post that kinda resonated with me. I am nowhere close to being in his state, but I can see a potential trajectory that leads to it. Frankly, I don't think he saw what was coming at him too.
All I can do is repost his story, and wish him all the best. With luck, the gap years between his current situation and the retirement benefits that were negotiated on his behalf will close with minimal suffering, and he can get back with his feet on firm ground again.
http://priceonomics.com/what-its-like-to-fail/
As for me, I have my own struggles with anxiety, life-issues, and future prospects. I am neither inspired nor frightened by his tale. It is however, a reminder that I should spend some time putting my own house in order.
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I am not much better in the department of searching for a real home. For the last few years, I feel that Japan is only a temporary place and have been working towards a visa to live elsewhere. The results are paying off somehow, but protracted and taking some time, so I am praying that by the time I quit this job, it will all work out.
A lot of times, I realized that failure is largely a category we impose on ourselves. For example, how much is it our fault if we do not get tenure as academics? There have been many, many academics post-PhD who settled for stuff such as contracts, part-time work, sessional employment, and even work outside of the academy. I glanced through this article and noticed how the marriage failed because of the 'failure' of this guy financially and economically. It sounds sad when relationships are built upon the material. We are losing sight of what is really more important.
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