In summary, early retirement is a choice. The global economy is making it difficult to achieve it, but we can still try our best to plan toward enjoying it by saving, investing, and healthy living.
In my estimation early retirement is a choice if you leave in an economy that is already developed. In an economy where the government actually cares for her citizens and have been able to provide the basic and amenities for them. But if you leave in an economy that is still developing early retirement will only be a wish. Because you can't retire early and have it going good for you. In this type of economy you have to work twice as hard to even erk out a good living for yourself and while you are at it retiring early would be the last thing on your list. That is why you should do work that you love, take time out to relax, eat healthy, invest no matter how little even while you are actively working.
You are absolutely right, if we actually work to provide everything for ourselves, retiring early will be the last thing on my mind just as you have said
But doing what we love and like won't be affecting our wellbeing as long as we are doing it with our heart and mind, we might even work without getting tired of it because we will be enjoying doing the work and the way our economic is right now in my country, we will have to work things for ourselves and to our own comfortable too.
Retiring at young age is actually a good thing because if things work out well you will enjoy the fruit of your labour, I really get what you are saying but they are just few of them and again it depends of on the career work, most of the people I noticed that with are educationalist, people making research don't retire at early age most of them died in that path. Most of this educationalist doesn't have money and they don't care because they love what they do, some even turn down offers that will make them rich but due to the passion they have for knowledge they don't take it.
As am concern, if I make huge amount of money at my early age I plan to retire early because live is very short, I want to enjoy myself first before many will start fighting for what they don't work for.