Why I Hate “Retirement”
!OK. I am nowhere near retirement age myself but even if I was I would never consider “retiring” – EVER!
Want to know the quickest way to die? Retire!! I have watched two very vital, intelligent men slowly die over the past 10-12 years. All because they bought into the “turn 62 and retire” thing. While most men and women may look forward to their retirement years as a reward for their long years of service, if they don’t have some sort of occupation planned, they will wither.
Why retire? Why not just take planned sabaticals or long vacations if your company allows it. Perhaps your company “forces” retirement so in that case, plan to occupy yourself as a volunteer or as a consultant in your field of expertise.
All I know is that these men and many countless others like them, may start out enjoying their freedom. But very quickly the doldrums hit them. My dad and father-in-law both in their own way have shriveled in health and mind. Even with constant RVing activity as in my dad’s case, he just is depressed much of the time.
Did you know that retirement is a relatively new phase of a person’s life? FDR invented retirement back in the Great Depression to make way for younger breadwinners when times were tight. He then had to invent Social Security and pension funds to help tide these newly unemployed oldsters.
Before that people just worked until they couldn’t. Retirement was not even thought of. But now we think retirement is the expected thing for a 55 – 65 your old worker and many companies still force it.
Well, there is a new paradigm taking shape and that is to not retire but taper off or even take on a new employment.
Being self-employed is ideal: you never really retire you just shift management to someone else and keep your hand in it as you see fit.
For those who still love their job but plan to retire someday, think about how you will spend that time off. Plan to take time to travel if that’s what you want but more importantly think about how you will spend the rest of the time. There are some great books that come to mind and one is Why Retire? Rewire!
Tags:Never retire