And you thought you had a midlife crisis????

[ProfJohn]

Found this today and was amazed.

In the middle of their expedition Lewis of Lewis and Clark had a midlife crisis.

By 31 he had accomplished more than most people even dreamed of and yet there he was in the middle of Montana exploring the new world and writing about how he had squandered half his life!

My god, kill me now and get it over with!!! For me finding a new restaurant to eat at is an accomplishment. For him exploring half the continent?? Eh.. must be more to life.

By his 31st birthday, Merriweather Lewis was as accomplished as almost anyone in U.S. history.

He was leading the Lewis and Clark expedition about halfway toward its goal, having traveled by foot and rudimentary boats through well over a thousand miles of backcountry and wilderness, from Pittsburgh to present day Montana. He had already catalogued dozens of plant and animal species unknown to western science, and mapped hundreds of miles of uncharted territory.

His resume included several years of military service rising to the rank of captain, and two years as President Jefferson?s personal secretary and daily companion, during which time he almost single-handedly advised Jefferson in reforming the army. He had the complete skill sets to operate a Virginia plantation (including animal husbandry, food production, business management and surveying) or survive in the wilderness (including hunting and cooking, building and operating a canoe, and rudimentary communication with Indian tribespeople through sign language), and he was proficient at mapmaking, celestial navigation, botany, zoology and practical medicine.

Yet on his 31st birthday, Lewis's journal entry records the gloomy reflection that his life was half over and that he had squandered his time thus far without doing anything much to advance the general welfare of mankind. And he resolved to renew and redouble his efforts to accomplishing something useful.

Yes, Merriweather Lewis, in the middle of leading his historic expedition across the American continent, was also in the midst of a mid-life crisis.

 

[MrMatt]

He committed suicide if I recall correctly.


I can sympathize with him kind of, I'm doing fine, but I feel like I have a gift for biology and biochemistry and should be doing something that alters the course of humanity for the better with it.

 

[Newbian]

Wait...wasn't the lifespan back then like in your 40's or 50's so at 31 that's reaching old age. 🙁

 

[DanTMWTMP]

Heh, interesting. Well, people live to their own standards. There are those who are just never satisfied regardless of how much they have done (read into anorexia/bigorexia, michael jordon, kobe bryant, etc etc..) I guess that drive and determination is what makes us humans rather awesome, and shows that we as a species are capable of extreme behavior and accomplishments.

Also, it's because of these people of extreme character and accomplishments that allows us to look up to them as a source of inspiration and wisdom.

I'd say as a nation who was founded on people like these (and founded athletes such as Jordon, Bryant, Phelps, Armstrong..etcetc), we should be immensely proud of it and always strive to better ourselves with the strictest of work ethics (unlike France w/ 30hour work weeks maximum 😛 😛).

Hehe, now i'm pumped after reading that. Thanks OP 😀

 

[lxskllr]

Originally posted by: Newbian
Wait...wasn't the lifespan back then like in your 40's or 50's so at 31 that's reaching old age. 🙁

Nah, people lived just as long back then as they do now. Assuming you beat infectious disease, there was nothing preventing you from living into your 80s.

 

[lxskllr]

Originally posted by: DanTMWTMP


Hehe, now i'm pumped after reading that. Thanks OP 😀

Really? I'm depressed. I'm 40, and I've accomplished about .001% of what he did by the time he was 31 :^(

 

[Squisher]

He should've just bought a sports car or a motorcycle.

 

[Newbian]

Originally posted by: lxskllr

Originally posted by: DanTMWTMP


Hehe, now i'm pumped after reading that. Thanks OP 😀

Really? I'm depressed. I'm 40, and I've accomplished about .001% of what he did by the time he was 31 :^(

So what small part of the states have you mapped? 😉

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: lxskllr

Originally posted by: Newbian
Wait...wasn't the lifespan back then like in your 40's or 50's so at 31 that's reaching old age. 🙁

Nah, people lived just as long back then as they do now. Assuming you beat infectious disease, there was nothing preventing you from living into your 80s.

yup. Jefferson and Adams both survived into their 80s, iirc.

The only reason the ave age was so low is b/c of access to health care. Sure, treatments and diet get better, but the main issue is that far fewer people had any real access (privilege) to the care that was available.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

...during which time he almost single-handedly advised Jefferson in reforming the army. He had the complete skill sets to operate a Virginia plantation (including animal husbandry, food production, business management and surveying) or survive in the wilderness...

😕

 

[Newbian]

Originally posted by: KnightBreed

...during which time he almost single-handedly advised Jefferson in reforming the army. He had the complete skill sets to operate a Virginia plantation (including animal husbandry, food production, business management and surveying) or survive in the wilderness...

😕

I take it you never played Civilization 4? 😉

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Originally posted by: Newbian

Originally posted by: KnightBreed

...during which time he almost single-handedly advised Jefferson in reforming the army. He had the complete skill sets to operate a Virginia plantation (including animal husbandry, food production, business management and surveying) or survive in the wilderness...

😕

I take it you never played Civilization 4? 😉

Are you saying I missed an opportunity to partake in virtual animal husbandry?!

 

[Gothgar]

Originally posted by: KnightBreed

Originally posted by: Newbian

Originally posted by: KnightBreed

...during which time he almost single-handedly advised Jefferson in reforming the army. He had the complete skill sets to operate a Virginia plantation (including animal husbandry, food production, business management and surveying) or survive in the wilderness...

😕

I take it you never played Civilization 4? 😉

Are you saying I missed an opportunity to partake in virtual animal husbandry?!

yes, yes he is

 

[lxskllr]

Originally posted by: Newbian

Originally posted by: lxskllr

Originally posted by: DanTMWTMP


Hehe, now i'm pumped after reading that. Thanks OP 😀

Really? I'm depressed. I'm 40, and I've accomplished about .001% of what he did by the time he was 31 :^(

So what small part of the states have you mapped? 😉

I've mapped a good bit of MD, and some of PA, DE, VA, and NY. Refining what's already known isn't the same as pioneering though :^(

 

[NL5]

Originally posted by: zinfamous

Originally posted by: lxskllr

Originally posted by: Newbian
Wait...wasn't the lifespan back then like in your 40's or 50's so at 31 that's reaching old age. 🙁

Nah, people lived just as long back then as they do now. Assuming you beat infectious disease, there was nothing preventing you from living into your 80s.

yup. Jefferson and Adams both survived into their 80s, iirc.

The only reason the ave age was so low is b/c of access to health care. Sure, treatments and diet get better, but the main issue is that far fewer people had any real access (privilege) to the care that was available.

LOL. No. The biggest advance in lifespan was from the invention of antibiotics - access to healthcare had very little to do with it before that point.