Honestly, even with a trust fund I'd feel guilty slacking on easy street. Just couldn't do it, after watching my father sell his soul to get from rags to riches, only to die of cancer at 68.
There is no endgame with the pursuit of happiness (and worry) -- it's either initially money, ...relationships, purpose, health, power, politics, the world, etc.
I agree, but I think there's a nuance to it. A sense of purpose provides direction, which is important. But people dying soon after leaving the work that defined them also likely lost their sense of self. It is unfortunate that many people, more men than women, associate their self-worth with what they do for a living. Their self-image lies in their careers, so that when they call it a day for whatever reason, there's nothing left. True, they should have sought a new purpose, but I imagine that the ones who succumbed never quite got over the hump of leaving behind what defined them. It is unfortunate that we tend to derive our self-worth and identity by what we do for a living. We are more than that. Perhaps the people who sought a new purpose and flourished realized their lives had value irrespective of what they did and just continued on with the next phase of their lives, jumping in with both feet.