Retirement?
What is so great about retirement anyway?
I saw one of those financial investment commercials today that wrapped up with a statement about retirement being the beginning of life for the person. If retirement is so great, if that is the beginning, then what on Earth is the point of working in the first place? Is there any honor remaining for toil? And why can't people elect to do those things they reserve for retirement while they are still working?
I am young. I have a different perspective. I expect many years without any shot at retirement. Social security will evaporate we are told. Pensions are already underfunded and rarely offered anymore outside of government positions. So I expect to work until a very old age, literally until I am no longer able to work. More than that though, I do not yet have the expectation that I need to sacrifice my worldly ambitions in order to work so that I can save for the day that I no longer need to work and can explore my worldly ambitions. Maybe I need more worldly ambitions.
We have no children yet, no doubt a key ingredient into the model sold by the financial institutions. But if we did, does that mean we should say abandon learning how to swim - as the man in the commercial decided to do with his free time? Maybe we should explore our ambitions together with our children? Maybe I just lack clear perspective and do not appreciate the notion of retirement very much. It seems both unattainable and undesirable to me. The prospect of idle time is not something I find myself longing for in my life. But that's me, the guy who has enough free time to write a blog on a Saturday night. Maybe things will change with time.
I saw one of those financial investment commercials today that wrapped up with a statement about retirement being the beginning of life for the person. If retirement is so great, if that is the beginning, then what on Earth is the point of working in the first place? Is there any honor remaining for toil? And why can't people elect to do those things they reserve for retirement while they are still working?
I am young. I have a different perspective. I expect many years without any shot at retirement. Social security will evaporate we are told. Pensions are already underfunded and rarely offered anymore outside of government positions. So I expect to work until a very old age, literally until I am no longer able to work. More than that though, I do not yet have the expectation that I need to sacrifice my worldly ambitions in order to work so that I can save for the day that I no longer need to work and can explore my worldly ambitions. Maybe I need more worldly ambitions.
We have no children yet, no doubt a key ingredient into the model sold by the financial institutions. But if we did, does that mean we should say abandon learning how to swim - as the man in the commercial decided to do with his free time? Maybe we should explore our ambitions together with our children? Maybe I just lack clear perspective and do not appreciate the notion of retirement very much. It seems both unattainable and undesirable to me. The prospect of idle time is not something I find myself longing for in my life. But that's me, the guy who has enough free time to write a blog on a Saturday night. Maybe things will change with time.
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1 Comments:
What's the purpose of commercials anyway? Marketing has become very savvy in the last few decades and commercials no longer serve to just get us to buy things-they entertain, educate, annoy...anything to stick in our heads. They also powerfully reflect certain cultural norms, which many unconsciously accept. The retirement idea that irked you in the commercial is what irks me about vacations. How sad that many only let themselves enjoy life to the fullest two weeks out of the year. The guiltiest folks I think are the ones I know best who have enough money to live a comfortable middle class existence, but work around the clock. Work is no longer just for the office, heck we can take it with us while we sip our margaritas on the beach! As long as I'm 'conscious' enough to have this thought I guess I think I don't belong to this crew. I vacation at home and usually enjoy my work. Spoiled me-I can just hop in my car and drive three hours to a great beach or the mountains. Life is good!
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