We often talk about turning points in life that moment (or period) that really sets the tone for everything that follows.
Do you think there’s a specific age when people are most likely to hit that tipping point for life satisfaction?
Or is it more about particular events (first serious relationship, parenthood, losing a job, a health crisis, meeting a mentor, etc.) regardless of age?
Is strip clubbing and 'mongering' (for all you degenerates) one of those slippery slopes?
Tipping point happens at different ages for everyone.
Example - my buddies and I, all the same age.
One hit it in his mid 30s when his wife left him. It took a decade for that mofo to bounce back. Another buddy is hitting it now in his 40s as the business he created and worked hard to keep going is failing. Me? I really don’t know when my tipping point was or if it’s really happened. I’ve been through some hard times, not any different than everyone else, but I really can only recall one moment that stand out to me. There was a time when I thought I was going to get divorced - like thinking “yeah we’re probably going to file that shit tomorrow.” I woke up the next morning, I made changes, she made changes, and we are better now. I guess that could be a tipping point. Tipping points always don’t have a negative result although most happen due to a negative event(s).
The tipping point can happen for various reasons at the same time, eg job change, and at the same time more responsibilities at home and a drop in testosterone levels. Throw in a string of disappointing visits. Or a closure of a favorite club.
I couldn't say, as my life has had ups and downs. I miss some things about being younger, and say good riddance to others. I just try to appreciate the things that are good in my life, while they last.
Paid sex is only a negative if you develop an expectation that you'll get a consistent experience, like buying a Whataburger. You have to look at it realistically. Most hot women would rather be broke rather than do sex work. The women who do do it have their own emotional, personal, idiosyncratic rules they have to follow to not feel humiliated by doing it. Especially hard, when they get trolled constantly, often by customers, for even wanting to have any dignity while doing sex work. It depends on luck and where you live, if you cross paths with sex workers with whom you can have real fun, while stay within their rules. I've only be seeing a Cuban fav for a while now. She's pleased to have collected a small herd of geezers, who are affectionate with her, without being too needy. Her mood has darkened some in the past year, as she's seen things get much worse for her family in Cuba, and lost hope that her younger sibling could join her in the States. But she's nonetheless a big positive in my life currently.
Can't one have multiple "tipping points"? I had one that got me heavily into P4P, and one that got me out of it.
10 years ago, in my mid 30s, I had a severe mental breakdown. Did anything to numb the pain, and paid sex topped the list. I liked the self-degradation of going to the shadiest places, though I never got into streetwalkers or even escorts. Even after I got my shit together a year or two later, I still kept the paid sex habit, and occasionally it got out of control. There was a time I bought it at Pleasant Moments Bridgeport (ultra-shady) 11 days in a row. Even when I was getting it from civvies, I got a naughty thrill out of buying it. Fortunately I made good bank so I could handle it.
Now I'm in the midst of another one, a damn good one. Got a great job, high paying, amazing people, a mission I can believe in, and finally a lady I want a long-term future with. I haven't clubbed in nearly a year, and after a few disappointing visits, stopped getting the urge to. It's not that paid sex has no allure, and I know girls turn over, it's that it's far inferior to getting it from someone I love, and not worth the money or trouble.
My life is as good as it's ever been. I don't see myself going back to strip clubbing (though you never know).
Do you think there’s a specific age when people are most likely to hit that tipping point for life satisfaction? I’d like to think that there is an age where people are able to reach - or at least approach life satisfaction. For me this occurred in my 50’s. Not overnight change, but I think that’s when I began finding more satisfaction, self assuredness, and confidence in who I am, what I’ve accomplished, and who I’ve become. This was the decade when my kids started finding their own identities and successes, my businesses were on solid footings, and I could finally stop chasing so hard. The older I get, the less I care about my appearance, my wardrobe, and what I drive. And I’m now finding that less is often better than more, and I can get just as much enjoyment from a 21 ft flats boat than a 45 ft sportfish.
We’re getting deep here on TUSCL lol
We’re all going to die, who cares. Have fun.
A tipping point in my life was when my parents moved out of Indianapolis in the late sixties because of rising crime rates. Being a small town boy instead of a city boy changed me. A second tipping point was when I divorced my wife. A third was when I completed an accounting degree and a fourth was deciding on strip clubs and dining out as my main old age hobbies.
"We’re getting deep here on TUSCL lol"
The conversations on TUSCL that are the most interesting are the ones on the deep end of the pool. We really don't have enough of those anymore, but not everyone can swim there. Thick skin and the guts to stand on your ideas is required. Actual lived in experience (if you have it) is a plus. Or you can be a poser and catch some strays once in a while, but maybe grow your understanding if you show some humility. But there's other threads for those who are scurred and need to tread water in shallow end. Or the kiddie pool over at Reddit to splash around in with the floaties on lol.
IME... it was specific experiences, not age. Big upheavals in family, job, and health.
"Is strip clubbing and 'mongering' (for all you degenerates) one of those slippery slopes?"
It depends on the person. OTC tends to get something that creates ripples because that's taking the hobby out of the strip club and releasing your habits into the wild. But there's customers who set their lives to revolve around strip clubbing and turn into club furniture. When someone does that it could be viewed as a turning point.