if you value, say, self-actualization (a la Maslow), retiring early is a bad idea.
If you want want to self-actualize in a way that does not (reliably, or soon enough) bring money, retiring early can be useful.
I think there's some lack of clarity in this thread about what it means to "retire". There are two interpretations (see e.g. this post):
(1) Retire means financial independence, not having to work for a living, so that you can focus your energy on what you want to do instead of what you have to do.
(2) Retire means a carefree life of leisure where you maximize your hedonics by doing easy and pleasant things and not doing hard and stressful things.
I think these two ways of retiring are quite different and lead to different consequences.
If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post (even in Discussion), then it goes here.
Notes for future OT posters:
1. Please add the 'open_thread' tag.
2. Check if there is an active Open Thread before posting a new one.
3. Open Threads should be posted in Discussion, and not Main.
4. Open Threads should start on Monday, and end on Sunday.