[sudhirj]

Old Hindu philosphies have a similar split.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%80%C5%9Brama_(stage)

0-25y grow and study

25-50y develop your household, your family, your community and gain wealth (non-extractive, provide value).

50y-75y hand over all worldly things to the next generation, advise, teach and help those around you. Focus on your spiritual enlightenment.

75y- renounce the world and disappear into the forest as a monk / hermit.

[keiferski]

Similar to Andrew Carnegie, although I am not sure if he quite disappeared from the world:

The "Andrew Carnegie Dictum" was:

- To spend the first third of one's life getting all the education one can.

- To spend the next third making all the money one can.

- To spend the last third giving it all away for worthwhile causes.

[bix6]

I’ve only ever heard these sequentially so was interesting to read they need not be.

“while in the original system presented in the early Dharmasutras the Asramas were four alternative available ways of life, neither presented as sequential nor with age recommendations.”

[aprilthird2021]

Almost everything in Hinduism is not prescribed strictly because Hinduism is really an amalgamation of many separate beliefs systems / traditions / ritual / books, etc. which were followed by local cohorts.

That's why many books contradict each other. Some books prescribe an age and order for such steps, others don't, etc. They weren't meant to be all collected, all studied, and all chosen piecemeal by one observer. But over time it has evolved into a much different thing than when it started

[beebmam]

I hope more people read comments like these and ask themselves: "What warrants these life suggestions? Are they justified? What would make them justified? What alternatives are there?"

[apocadam]

Indeed, why wait till 50 to start giving back.

Edit: Not talking purely about financially giving back, but also volunteering your time.

[moffkalast]

Can we just skip to disappearing into the forest as a monk? The rest of it seems a bit unnecessary.