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I read an interesting essay the other day about retirement. The author wrote, Retirement is when you stop doing what you have to do and start doing what you like to do. And since he had done that already, (was working in a career he liked to do), he saw no reason to retire.
What I thought was interesting is that this concept fits people who cannot wait to retire and those who plan to never retire, as well. But there is great wisdom on this forum, and I wonder what you all thought about it?
Disclosure: I will probably always have my hand in business, which I enjoy immensely.
Who could argue with the logic behind that? - it is unassailable.
Traditionally, retirement means to cease engaging in paid work, and the interesting definition of your author puts a different twist to it. By his definition, some people have been retired their whole lives, but I see no problem with that concept as long as it is clear what we are talking about.
Interesting. I loved my job as a young man and looked forward to working it for about the first 30 years but for the last 10, not so much. I'm retired so nothing else matters.
I thought long and hard about my retirement while still in the saddle of work, where to live, what to do with all that time, and the knowledge that retirement meant the end of "forced association", one of the most common drivers for many when contemplating the end of work. I've loved every day of my retirement, that's something I could never have said about the days of work. It's ten AM here and I'm sitting in front of the fireplace drinking coffee with my wife and posting on CD, we'll go out to run some errands after a while, have lunch and then get into the hard stuff (lol) of doing a little work around the house.
I do understand some of those who want to work past the age of what many suppose to be the point of retirement, it's not for me but I don't mind that others have found some satisfaction in their work and hate to end it. The point is that we all don't march to the same tune and that's the way it should be. I will say that one thing I noted through my working years was the tendency on some peoples part to elevate the meaning of their work to an unrealistic level, think, "married to the job" and you may remember a few of these folks from your own past. Needing a "stage" to perform on, and loving what you do aren't the same thing......
Who could argue with the logic behind that? - it is unassailable.
Traditionally, retirement means to cease engaging in paid work, and the interesting definition of your author puts a different twist to it. By his definition, some people have been retired their whole lives, but I see no problem with that concept as long as it is clear what we are talking about.
Exactly. Which is why I believe that such a definition is ridiculous.
If you're working because you need the money - - - regardless of how much you love your job - - - then by definition (at least by my definition) you aren't retired.
Even those who work often want to do other things more which is why they retire. Everyone I know who hasn't retired either won the business which is their life or can't afford to. Often the owners are semi retired as to what they actually do.
Exactly. Which is why I believe that such a definition is ridiculous.
If you're working because you need the money - - - regardless of how much you love your job - - - then by definition (at least by my definition) you aren't retired.
Great point, MMOB, and I agree with you. I was only thinking of those who have a legitimate choice of working or not, with the assets or income to have freedom of action either way.
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