Don't Call it a Crisis: Reaching Midlife Clarity
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What is a midlife crisis and why does Dave call it “midlife clarity”?
Hello, my name is David Chang and I'm pretty sure I'm in the middle of a midlife crisis and on today's show I'm gonna make in Buddhijige and I'm talking about why the midlife crisis isn't so bad.
This episode of the Dave Chang Show is presented by Virbo Vacation Rentals. People are unpredictable, especially when you travel with them. Someone's in a mood, someone's hungry, someone didn't sleep, something's gonna happen. You can't be worrying about your vacation rental, too. That's why when you book with Vir, Virbo Care and 24-7 live support is built in. So if something's broken, not as described, or just not right, Verbo Is there 247 to help? If you know you verbo, book today on the verbo app. Terms apply, see verbo.com slash trust for details. Welcome to the Dave Chang Show. I am here with Christopher Yang, young producer David, and we're gonna be doing a MOIF. I'm gonna be talking about a little bit about turning 50 and the midlife crisis.
It's probably like my fifth quote unquote. midlife crisis and we're gonna be talking about that with our two dining guests that we'll introduce in a little bit and I'm making budejige something that came out fantastic today so um again I'm turning 50 soon It's It's about time for me to figure out what I want to do in my life. That's literally where I'm at right now. Like, what do I want to do? Um And uh It's been a long time coming for people that Turn fifty or some I feel like around fifty is when people start making what other people see as oh, that is a clear midlife crisis.
Oh yeah, anything you do can be explained as a midlife crisis. Any purchase you make, any new hobby you take up, oh Dave's having a midlife crisis.
This is probably like my third quote unquote midlife crisis and in that I've experienced. Maybe I have had more, but like for certain when I turned twenty-two and I had this existential dread about what I wanted to do after graduation. And then Around twenty six. when I opened up Momofuku and then thirty-five when I made some really bad fucking decisions in my life. I really didn't think I was gonna live past a certain age, so I really decided to do everything. And then now I'm like, well, I'm well past the age that I thought that I'd actually be alive, which sounds like hyperbole, but for those that know me, like I really live like like a crazy person for a long time. And now I got two young kids. And I'm like
What what do I do? What's not next? And it sounds crazy. But part of me gets it why some people Career change. Some people buy ridiculous things like they get into cars, they get into some kind of hobby that they never gave a shit before. Yeah. They get into falconry. This guy right here.
I mean dabbled. I mean is the difference between those early quarter life crises and a midlife crisis like when you're 22, you're like, oh my God, I gotta figure out what's next. fifty you're kinda looking backward and be like wha what have I been doing?
Well Now's the time and I and I I don't say this jokingly, it's like when people die now, it's not like Oh my god. It's not like it's still sad. It's incredibly sad. But it's not a tragic death. No. It's an early death. Right. And that's sort of with a weird barometer. Right around in your mid sixties. Yeah.
Yeah.
Early 50s. Oh, that's still a little early.
Yeah.
Anytime after 65, you're like, what are you complaining about? You know? And then anything closer to eighty five plus to a hundred, like Jesus Christ, that's ridiculous. That's such a
harsh characterization. Nobody nobody who's I don't look at an 85 year like, come on man, what are you still doing here? Like this. No, but I'm just saying in the general expectations of things. Sure,
okay, okay. Now's the time where people It just ha it i guess what it happens to everybody. So mortality plays in basically. Yeah, mortality plays a big role in it. Like, what am I going to do? When
you're twenty-two, it's not about mortality that's making you have a freak out. It's just like, oh my God, I'm on my own now. I gotta figure this stuff out.
Well m more fe m for me it was mortality.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is a midlife crisis and why does Dave call it “midlife clarity”?
0:06–18:56
2
How do early life moments (college, first job) shape later career changes?
18:56–37:14
3
What triggers a midlife crisis for the guests and how do they respond?
37:14–52:55
4
How does death meditation help re‑frame fear of aging?
52:55–1:04:54
5
At what age do people start feeling “old” and how does perception change?
1:04:54–1:12:55
6
Why do the hosts talk about reckless choices versus purposeful clarity?
1:12:55–1:16:41
7
What future plans do the guests have now that they’re approaching 50?
1:16:41–1:21:11
8
How does the final kimchi stew (budae‑jjigae) tie together the episode’s themes?
1:21:11–1:23:06