Who is Baháʼu'lláh?

[oldbadger]

I can't understand why. I believe philosophers want to make sense of what this world is like but that does not mean they are committed to following good sense. I think everyone should go to bed at 12 and get up at 8 but I am more comfortable getting up at 9.

Sadly I just cannot lay in, these days.
I'm pinging at 4am.

 

[Trailblazer]

i believe I told a pastor once that there was a great deal of difference between knowing God personally and knowing about Him from reading the Bible.

I do not believe that anyone can know God personally. I think people only imagine that they do.

 

[Trailblazer]

Sadly I just cannot lay in, these days.
I'm pinging at 4am.

Pinging, what's that?

I dread going back to work next week after two weeks off because I will have to get up at 4:30 am and I normally stay up till at least 3 am on my days off and get up around 11 am.

I cannot live like this anymore.... I have to retire, I just have to.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

Sadly I just cannot lay in, these days.
I'm pinging at 4am.

Then this is not meant for you

"O BONDSLAVE OF THE WORLD!
Many a dawn hath the breeze of My loving-kindness wafted over thee and found thee upon the bed of heedlessness fast asleep. Bewailing then thy plight it returned whence it came..."

4:30 seems to be my alarm clock.

Regards Tony

 

[oldbadger]

Pinging, what's that?

I dread going back to work next week after two weeks off because I will have to get up at 4:30 am and I normally stay up till at least 3 am on my days off and get up around 11 am.

I cannot live like this anymore.... I have to retire, I just have to.

Pinging? It's a slang word which means to be wide awake, with no sleepiness left, and the mind is 'pinging' off differing ideas and thoughts..... pointless to try and get back to sleep.

I retired in January 2010. Although I loved my job I disliked the powerful retailer bosses, their values, their carelessness about their employees, their silly power struggles etc, and we didn't need anywhere near as much money as the job was earning. We needed very little money and my wife liked the idea that I could stay home. Having agreed all with my wife I had put in three month's notice on 30th September, but in the week after Christmas 2009 my boss called m,e and told me that it was inconvenient for me to leave, but since he hadn't even acknowledged my resignation letter (served by hand) I told him that I would be gone on January 4th..... and I was.
For a local job I learned how to clean carpets and worked for a friend in East Kent.... loved it, and got very good at it. In summer 2014 my wife nearly died (she survived thanks to Kings College Hospital, London) and I gave up any work to be with her, and since then I haven't bothered to go back to work, although I save lots of money by doing all jobs and repairs to our little home, etc.

I wouldn't advise anybody about such things but our feelings are that since we don't care about status, class, biggest home, biggest car, expensive hols, etc........ just chuck the whole lot away, figure out how long we could live if we liquefied all excess assets .... and since discovered that we could both cruise through the rest of life to great old age..... do it. My wife will survive decades after me (younger) and I can imagine her (my guess) at 90 years+, living with about 15 miniature long-hair dachshunds (or as many as she can fit on the bed) and in eccentric happiness. Or maybe she'll go round again........ she's a 'looker'.

Freedom from mammon is freedom indeed.

 

[Trailblazer]

Pinging? It's a slang word which means to be wide awake, with no sleepiness left, and the mind is 'pinging' off differing ideas and thoughts..... pointless to try and get back to sleep.

I retired in January 2010. Although I loved my job I disliked the powerful retailer bosses, their values, their carelessness about their employees, their silly power struggles etc, and we didn't need anywhere near as much money as the job was earning. We needed very little money and my wife liked the idea that I could stay home. Having agreed all with my wife I had put in three month's notice on 30th September, but in the week after Christmas 2009 my boss called m,e and told me that it was inconvenient for me to leave, but since he hadn't even acknowledged my resignation letter (served by hand) I told him that I would be gone on January 4th..... and I was.
For a local job I learned how to clean carpets and worked for a friend in East Kent.... loved it, and got very good at it. In summer 2014 my wife nearly died (she survived thanks to Kings College Hospital, London) and I gave up any work to be with her, and since then I haven't bothered to go back to work, although I save lots of money by doing all jobs and repairs to our little home, etc.

I wouldn't advise anybody about such things but our feelings are that since we don't care about status, class, biggest home, biggest car, expensive hols, etc........ just chuck the whole lot away, figure out how long we could live if we liquefied all excess assets .... and since discovered that we could both cruise through the rest of life to great old age..... do it. My wife will survive decades after me (younger) and I can imagine her (my guess) at 90 years+, living with about 15 miniature long-hair dachshunds (or as many as she can fit on the bed) and in eccentric happiness. Or maybe she'll go round again........ she's a 'looker'.

Freedom from mammon is freedom indeed.

I would not like pinging and do not have that as a problem. I do get up a lot but I go back to sleep. I am not sure if it is because of the large dose of Melatonin I take.

Well, you and I are kind of in the same ball park on values and what is important in life, and on having adequate finances. I just have been unable to make that 'final decision' to retire and my husband is not pushing me to retire, he is completely neutral on the matter.... He will never say what he wants even if he has an opinion. He would not even say he wanted to retire but was forced out of state employment at age 73, they put him out on a bogus medical separation.

My husband is 10 years older than me but I am not sure I will outlive him the way things are going. His BP is really low and mine is borderline high, probably because I have more stress but also because heart disease runs in my family. My dad died of a heart attack at age 52.

If I finally retire, I do not plan to do any odd jobs because I never get bored.. What with 10 Persian cats and the forums and the three houses I do not even have time to think. But I do not need the money so I don't have to work even now, let alone after I retire. I am waiting for the third house to be paid in full and then that will be the signal. Ask me why I don't know when that will be and that is another long story. I think it will be by spring or summer of this year, but I don't know because I won't look at mortgage statements.

I have not chucked the houses because they are stable now that we got rid of that bad tenant and got the house completely fixed up and got new tenants. The other rental has a stable tenant but he owes me a lot of back rent. For now, I am just waiting patiently because I think he is honest, since I have been in this position before and he did pay it down. As for cars, ours are 1986 and 1999. I have never had any cars close to new and never wanted any..

So your wide will have the 15 miniature long-hair dachshunds (or as many as she can fit on the bed) and I will have as many Persian cats as I can fit onto the bed. Usually it is my husband keeping them company though because I am on the computer while he watches TV in the bed most of the day.

 

[Vinayaka]

I would not like pinging and do not have that as a problem. I do get up a lot but I go back to sleep. I am not sure if it is because of the large dose of Melatonin I take.

Well, you and I are kind of in the same ball park on values and what is important in life, and on having adequate finances. I just have been unable to make that 'final decision' to retire and my husband is not pushing me to retire, he is completely neutral on the matter.... He will never say what he wants even if he has an opinion. He would not even say he wanted to retire but was forced out of state employment at age 73, they put him out on a bogus medical separation.

My husband is 10 years older than me but I am not sure I will outlive him the way things are going. His BP is really low and mine is borderline high, probably because I have more stress but also because heart disease runs in my family. My dad died of a heart attack at age 52.

If I finally retire, I do not plan to do any odd jobs because I never get bored.. What with 10 Persian cats and the forums and the three houses I do not even have time to think. But I do not need the money so I don't have to work even now, let alone after I retire. I am waiting for the third house to be paid in full and then that will be the signal. Ask me why I don't know when that will be and that is another long story. I think it will be by spring or summer of this year, but I don't know because I won't look at mortgage statements.

I have not chucked the houses because they are stable now that we got rid of that bad tenant and got the house completely fixed up and got new tenants. The other rental has a stable tenant but he owes me a lot of back rent. For now, I am just waiting patiently because I think he is honest, since I have been in this position before and he did pay it down. As for cars, ours are 1986 and 1999. I have never had any cars close to new and never wanted any..

So your wide will have the 15 miniature long-hair dachshunds (or as many as she can fit on the bed) and I will have as many Persian cats as I can fit onto the bed. Usually it is my husband keeping them company though because I am on the computer while he watches TV in the bed most of the day.

I think many folks are way too paranoid about going broke in retirement. Good on you for figuring it out. I retired 3 months before 55. I have friends in their 70s, owning Mercedes and large houses who figure they HAVE to keep working. Our '07 small Toyota most likely has a few years left. It's all about choices you make, not money you make.

 

[Trailblazer]

I think many folks are way too paranoid about going broke in retirement. Good on you for figuring it out. I retired 3 months before 55. I have friends in their 70s, owning Mercedes and large houses who figure they HAVE to keep working. Our '07 small Toyota most likely has a few years left. It's all about choices you make, not money you make.

I guess since you were a teacher you could retire at age 55. My boss's wife was a teacher and she retired at 55 whereas my boss who is the same age cannot retire till he is 65. One of the biggest reasons why people in the U.S. do not retire earlier than 65 is because of the cost of health care. They have to wait till they are 65 to get Medicare. In Canada you have socialized medicine where everything is covered so you do not have that problem.

The reason I cannot decide to retire is not because of money. We have made good choices with our investments and money. We have more money and assets and more money coming in than we will ever need, more than we could ever spend, unless we drastically changed our lifestyle, and I do not see that happening. Most of our extra money goes to caring for animals, domestic and wild, we do not buy anything for ourselves except food and we probably spend more money on animal food than people food. I keep telling my husband he really could get a new pair of pants.

I could retire now and still pay the last mortgage until it is paid off this year, hopefully by spring or summer, but I just cannot DECIDE to retire, because it is such a final decision, kind of like dying. I have been working for the government for 42 years. However, I really have to retire this year, because I cannot take getting up at 4:30 am much longer, it is going to kill me. Aside from that, I like my job, it just does not give me much time to do other things.

I really would not do anything much differently if I did retire, but I would not be so pressed for time when I have posts to answer and I would get more sleep. I would also have more time to do work around the house, but I am in no hurry to do that. I figure if my husband who has been retired 4 years won't work around the house, why should I? That is not justice.

 

[Vinayaka]

I guess since you were a teacher you could retire at age 55. My boss's wife was a teacher and she retired at 55 whereas my boss who is the same age cannot retire till he is 65. One of the biggest reasons why people in the U.S. do not retire earlier than 65 is because of the cost of health care. They have to wait till they are 65 to get Medicare. In Canada you have socialized medicine where everything is covered so you do not have that problem.

The reason I cannot decide to retire is not because of money. We have made good choices with our investments and money. We have more money and assets and more money coming in than we will ever need, more than we could ever spend, unless we drastically changed our lifestyle, and I do not see that happening. Most of our extra money goes to caring for animals, domestic and wild, we do not buy anything for ourselves except food and we probably spend more money on animal food than people food. I keep telling my husband he really could get a new pair of pants.

I could retire now and still pay the last mortgage until it is paid off this year, hopefully by spring or summer, but I just cannot DECIDE to retire, because it is such a final decision, kind of like dying. I have been working for the government for 42 years. However, I really have to retire this year, because I cannot take getting up at 4:30 am much longer, it is going to kill me. Aside from that, I like my job, it just does not give me much time to do other things.

I really would not do anything much differently if I did retire, but I would not be so pressed for time when I have posts to answer and I would get more sleep. I would also have more time to do work around the house, but I am in no hurry to do that. I figure if my husband who has been retired 4 years won't work around the house, why should I? That is not justice.

I was observant of teachers as a kid, and had 3 aunts who were teachers. I loved teaching, but the more you love it, the harder you work, and the more you get burned out. One of the very secondary reasons I became a teacher was the knowledge about being able to retire at 55.

We obviously have very different methods of making decisions personally. As wise people have said: "If you don't make the decision, somebody else will make it for you." That's what happens to so many seniors. They procrastinate until somebody else comes in and makes the decision for them, and then they blame that person or group. Seniors who leave it until they can't clean up after themselves, or walk up 2 stairs, or cook without endangering everyone around them, often get very angry. The anger is because of the situation they themselves allowed themselves to get into.

We know a few people who work in the industry of taking care of the elderly. It's incredibly common.

Oh well.

 

[Trailblazer]

I was observant of teachers as a kid, and had 3 aunts who were teachers. I loved teaching, but the more you love it, the harder you work, and the more you get burned out. One of the very secondary reasons I became a teacher was the knowledge about being able to retire at 55.

We obviously have very different methods of making decisions personally. As wise people have said: "If you don't make the decision, somebody else will make it for you." That's what happens to so many seniors. They procrastinate until somebody else comes in and makes the decision for them, and then they blame that person or group. Seniors who leave it until they can't clean up after themselves, or walk up 2 stairs, or cook without endangering everyone around them, often get very angry. The anger is because of the situation they themselves allowed themselves to get into.

We know a few people who work in the industry of taking care of the elderly. It's incredibly common.

Oh well.

I am not a planner, I never have been. I would have made a better Buddhist than a Baha'i because I live fully in the moment. Someone has to do planning in any organization, it just won't be me. One reason I do not plan is because I do not like to think about the future. It will happen when it happens. However, I have a handle on anything that is time sensitive, like I signed up to get social security as soon as I was 66. Because of my age bracket, I can collect 50% of my husband's social security until I am 70, at which time it make more financial sense to collect 100% of my own. By waiting till I am 70 my own social security benefit will be larger.

As far as senior care, the main reason we are keeping this big house is because it has a downstairs that is as many square feet as the upstairs, and we never use it anymore now that we have half as many cats, so I have it in mind that it can easily be made into an apartment for a caregiver if that time comes when we need one. This house is in the country where most people do not have bus service, but because it is near a main highway that provides bus service to a smaller town south of the city, there is a city bus, and because we are near the bus line, when we get older we can call for dial-a-lift to pick us up at our door... For important stuff like that I do think ahead.

On the other hand, I am not sure we will stay in this house, we might downsize like many seniors do; it is just not time for that yet and we have too many cats to move into a retirement apartment, so here we are.

 

[Vinayaka]

I am not a planner, I never have been. I would have made a better Buddhist than a Baha'i because I live fully in the moment. Someone has to do planning in any organization, it just won't be me. One reason I do not plan is because I do not like to think about the future. It will happen when it happens. However, I have a handle on anything that is time sensitive, like I signed up to get social security as soon as I was 66. Because of my age bracket, I can collect 50% of my husband's social security until I am 70, at which time it make more financial sense to collect 100% of my own. By waiting till I am 70 my own social security benefit will be larger.

As far as senior care, the main reason we are keeping this big house is because it has a downstairs that is as many square feet as the upstairs, and we never use it anymore now that we have half as many cats, so I have it in mind that it can easily be made into an apartment for a caregiver if that time comes when we need one. This house is in the country where most people do not have bus service, but because it is near a main highway that provides bus service to a smaller town south of the city, there is a city bus, and because we are near the bus line, when we get older we can call for dial-a-lift to pick us up at our door... For important stuff like that I do think ahead.

On the other hand, I am not sure we will stay in this house, we might downsize like many seniors do; it is just not time for that yet and we have too many cats to move into a retirement apartment, so here we are.

Yes, it's tough decisions. About 5 years ago we were planning on downsizing to a condo. When I looked into condo fees, and some problems condo owners had, we gave up on that idea entirely. Then it hit us that we could very easily rent out our two rooms in the basement, so that we weren't contributing to wasted space on this planet. That's how it went.

I am not a planner either. Decisions hit us, often together, intuitively. We got married 6 weeks after it hit us. That's the time it took to organise it enough to do it. When the thick brick of powerful intuition hits, it might as well be finished. After that, it's only a matter of having it manifest, and doing what's necessary for that to happen.

My retirement was the same. There may have been a trigger, but same procedure. Intuition is far more powerful, and generally more accurate than reason.

 

[Trailblazer]

Yes, it's tough decisions. About 5 years ago we were planning on downsizing to a condo. When I looked into condo fees, and some problems condo owners had, we gave up on that idea entirely. Then it hit us that we could very easily rent out our two rooms in the basement, so that we weren't contributing to wasted space on this planet. That's how it went.

We could rent out our downstairs right now, and we would if we needed the money. I have thought about it because maybe we could do a partial work in exchange for rent, since we do not do yard work or know how to do home repairs. But we are very private people and that is the problem. We would also have to be able to trust a renter, unless we were able to completely separate the downstairs. There would be a lot involved so I figure it is wiser to wait till I retire since that is coming up very soon.

I am not a planner either. Decisions hit us, often together, intuitively. We got married 6 weeks after it hit us. That's the time it took to organise it enough to do it. When the thick brick of powerful intuition hits, it might as well be finished. After that, it's only a matter of having it manifest, and doing what's necessary for that to happen.

I am also very intuitive. We got married 3 weeks after we met so I have you beat.

He proposed three days after we met and I said yes two days later. Then my sister planned the wedding, that was so nice of her. It was in the back yard of a wealthy Baha'i in El Cajon, CA, because that is where my husband was living at the time. I did not know any of the guests except my mother and sister. Then came the honeymoon and that is a long story.

My retirement was the same. There may have been a trigger, but same procedure. Intuition is far more powerful, and generally more accurate than reason.

Well you knew you could retire at age 55 and that is the important thing. I have known I could retire since I could get medicare a couple of years ago, but I was not quite ready. However, I am intuiting that I will be ready this year just by the feelings I have about going back to work after this two week vacation. It is getting really old having to be tied down to a job because of the schedule. I have a four week vacation coming up in February and I will be at home the whole time. I have a feeling that will give me a better idea about what I want to do about retirement.

But the deciding factor will be when that last mortgage is paid off because that mortgage is more than my take home pay, so as soon as it is paid off we could live comfortably without even signing up for our two state pensions. My husband has been retired for four years but he has not signed up for his state pension yet because we could not decide on survivor benefits, but he will get the money retroactively when he signs up, another large chunk of change.

Truth be told, my husband and I both dislike the material world and having to deal with it, but at least we can be grateful we are in good health and well off financially. Not all people our age are in that situation.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

I am also very intuitive. We got married 3 weeks after we met so I have you beat.

He proposed three days after we met and I said yes two days later.

I proposed to my wife in 3 days and she said yes there and then. Would have been married the next day, if family had not stepped in to slow it all down. They wanted to do a wedding invite, but I guess most of all wanted the fad to go away.

Still next to me 40 years later

Regards Tony

 

[Trailblazer]

Still next to me 40 years later
Regards Tony

You have me beat on that one... It is only 34.5 years for us.

 

[Vinayaka]

You have me beat on that one... It is only 34.5 years for us.

We will be at 45 in 2020. Not that time matters in happy marriages.