The Bucket List Backlash: One Activist's Stand Against 'Blandified Adventure'
At 73 years old, Rose Rouse has a clear message for anyone asking about her bucket list: she doesn't have one. As the co-founder of Advantages of Age, a social enterprise challenging media narratives around ageing, Rouse recently found herself on a podcast where the host inevitably asked about her life goals before 'kicking the bucket.' Her response was both simple and revolutionary: 'I don't have one.'
The Problem with Pre-Packaged Adventure
'The bucket list has blandified adventure,' Rouse declares emphatically. 'And that is a sin in my book.' She compares these ubiquitous lists to consumer-led wedding registries, noting she deliberately never married. For Rouse, the issue isn't a lack of ambition or desire for experience—it's the commodification of those experiences into predictable, marketable adventures.
'I don't want to smoke a cigar in Havana,' she states. 'I don't want to go hot-air ballooning in the Serengeti, nor skydive naked from a microlight plane in Costa Rica.' These standard bucket list items represent what she sees as a reduction of genuine adventure into packaged experiences.
The Rise of Bucket List Culture
Rouse observes bucket-list fever spreading 'like a virus' across social media platforms. 'The age of the listers is getting disturbingly younger,' she notes with concern. What began as simple life goal lists have evolved into categorized experiences: food bucket lists, play bucket lists, dating bucket lists. She recounts hearing a young woman describe drawing with chalk as part of her 'summer bucket list,' calling it 'cute' and 'therapeutic.'
'These days, you can even go on "the ultimate bucket list journey," the description of which is so long that you might never actually get around to doing it,' Rouse observes wryly. The bucket list industry has expanded to include journals, guides, and even therapy sessions to help people create their ideal lists. 'Bucket lists are big business,' she concludes.
Alternative Approaches to Living Fully
Despite her rejection of bucket lists, Rouse emphasizes she's far from inactive or unadventurous. 'It's not that I don't have loads of non-commodified, non-cuteified ideas for stuff I'd like to do,' she explains. Her preferences include local dances, time with family, and travel to less conventional destinations like Senegal and Algiers—while avoiding tourist hotspots like Machu Picchu.
'I'm a fan of the eccentric in life,' Rouse shares. 'A little bit of research can lead to having your own adventure rather than someone else's.' She rejects what she calls 'the adventure rehash'—pre-packaged experiences that lack authenticity.
The 'Fuck It List' Alternative
Rather than creating a bucket list, Rouse is developing what she calls a 'fuck it list.' 'Fuck it to what is expected: I'll do the opposite,' she declares. This approach represents her philosophy of meandering down her 'own primrose path' rather than following prescribed experiences.
'I like to relish time,' Rouse explains. 'That doesn't mean I don't get things done.' Her approach emphasizes personal authenticity over conformity to societal expectations about how older adults should experience life.
Final Thoughts on Mortality and Meaning
The terminology itself bothers Rouse. 'The idea of having to have an adventure before I "kick the bucket" is heinous to me,' she states. 'I don't mind about the dying bit, just the terminology.'
In a final, defiant image, Rouse declares: 'I'm not going to kick the bucket. I'm going to fill it with all those books that have been written about bucket lists and set fire to them.' This powerful statement encapsulates her rejection of commodified experiences and her commitment to living authentically in her seventies and beyond.
