I think many folks can't even imagine any other way to live. Slaving away all day to pay the bills seems normal, necessary.
Yeah, and they think it is the work that is the problem. Work isn't the issue, it is the "have to do it to pay bills" issue. Then we do all kinds of pointless and meaningless things, to keep the machine turning.
My latest is to have joined an orchestra as a violinist.
This is awesome! I am guessing you have played before ;)
My father-in-law recently joined a choir at the age of 77. He is loving it. Gives him purpose in his life he was missing before.
Your mountain climber could use music in his life. And yes, making music helps us old folks stay relevant.
I "played" the violin in elementary and high school, disinterestedly, but well-trained. I was a intermediate klezmer fiddle player in NYC, but stopped playing anything at all for 25 years. Now that I have moved back to my home town, I'm taking lessons with a person who learned from my teacher before me. She's 85! I wanted to just learn how to play some country fiddlin', but she's got me playing classical too. Both pose huge challenges for me.