> Who wants to “retire” and do nothing for the rest of your life?

This is an extremely reductive characterization of retirement. There's no rule you have to do nothing.

> buy whatever stuff truly makes you happy, and your savings give you flexibility. Like taking a year off between jobs, etc.

You could definitely do this in "retirement."

> Just save a ton, buy whatever stuff truly makes you happy, and your savings give you flexibility.

Retirement simply means that you could just live off of your savings interest. But that doesn't mean that you have to stop working.

For me, this is about three things: 1) Prioritizing joyful experiences, social connections, self-development and happiness over (expensive) material possessions 2) Being financially responsible, knowing how much I earn, owe, spend and save 3) Maximizing future life options involving less well-paying jobs (working part-time, retiring, taking some time off, starting a new career, whatever) when I get bored/burnt out of my current career or get health issues, need to look after a family member etc. So much can happen in a life.

Buying stuff is not a universal recipe for happiness.

Neither is retirement, obviously, but you are correct that being financially independent gives you the freedom do do what you want. Whether that is time off between jobs, working on independent projects, etc.

I do. A little. I want to retire at 60. My SO is younger than me by nearly a decade. If I retire at 60, I figure we can have a good 10-15 years of traveling and having fun.

It depends on your retirement goals. Some people prefer the "financial independence" aspect in order to have the freedom to do or work on things they're interested in and brings them happiness rather than for the sake of just money.

i wanna do stuff just not at my job