Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Monday, February 3. 2014

Is retirement a worthy life goal?

For Some, Retirement Is Out of Reach. For Others, Boring.


Readers know that I believe that being unproductive in the world is a terrible, worthless, pointless, goal, especially for people with the American spirit. Unfortunately, some people are forced into it by bad luck, illness, and age limits. Also, some people aspire to it because the advertising tells them to.


Ask any guy, and he'll tell you that a man without a job or a full-time mission feels half-emasculated. That is a least one part of why most guys who retire seek to return to work after two or three years. I see people in their 90s still working.  In addition, few wives want their husbands around all the time.


What people aspire to, I believe, is a degree of financial security so they can worry about other things in life besides survival. That is a worthy goal, and makes any sort of work more enjoyable.


Feel free to disagree with that.

Posted by The Barrister in Our Essays, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 14:27 | Comments (16) | Trackbacks (0)

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After decades of often pointless drudgery for the sole purpose of having enough money left after paying taxes to pay your mortgage and some food, for most people retirement would be freedom.
But yes, you need to have something to do in all the time you now have that's not taken up with mindless drudgery dictated to you by others.

That's why it's important to generate some hobbies before your retirement, hobbies that neither require great monetary nor physical investment (as you'll likely lack the capability for both after retirement).
#1 J.T. Wenting on 2014-02-03 15:29 (Reply)
I've hated work since I was 11! In '05 I returned from the ME, looked at my IRA and quit. No more working. I read in the west pasture, smoke cigars, drink martinis, watch the highway across the lower orchard and SMILE!
I leisurely cook my meals, hunt for meat, repair pasture fences and gates...sometimes.
I HATE WORK
#2 serfer62 on 2014-02-03 15:45 (Reply)
J.T. and serfer both hit on it. Well before retiring, get your own place and learn to work it. After retiring work it. You have to figure out how you want your place laid out and what working it means to you. If you can't do that, you might ought to keep working for someone else.
#3 BillH on 2014-02-03 16:40 (Reply)
It depends on your personality. I know that I am my own worst enemy when it comes to accomplishing things sometimes. It is good for me to have a purpose every day. And I don't like giving myself a lot of 'purpose.' If I were to retire early, I'd have to find that 'purpose,' or I could end up sitting on the couch. I'd need to sign up for a class, join a choir, plan a trip, or find a consistent place to volunteer.

Some people really enjoy being busy, having projects, doing stuff 24/7 even after they get home from work. They have no problems imagining a very busy retirement of all the projects they love to do, but only need more uninterrupted time for.

Those project people are probably the ones more likely to keep working for a long time. They find retirement dull.
#4 MissT on 2014-02-03 16:49 (Reply)
I hope that I never completely retire. Without something that I need to do, I am too quick to slug fest it. I enjoy working. It is part of being alive, the Bible even states that we were created to work. js
#5 Jesse on 2014-02-03 18:08 (Reply)
I retired from teaching and now I'm... STILL A TEACHER! The first thing God gave Adam was a job. I'll never "retire" retire, just double dip.
#6 M@rk on 2014-02-03 18:18 (Reply)
How timely! I am retiring in May at age 64. I am enjoying the comments above immensely! I plan to give my garden more attention, sing in the Funeral Choir at church (unplanned for and usually during the week). Along with the funeral is the Funeral Luncheon, for which the choir cooks and serves. I still have quilts in my head that I haven't had time to make, and I want to take over the food shopping & cooking, which my DH has been doing for many years (he deserves a break!). That's just for a start. I can't imagine "free running" being boring.
Susan Lee
#7 Susan Lee on 2014-02-03 18:27 (Reply)
I'd rather be put up against a wall and shot rather than retire. I love orchestrating the Show (competitive lawyering), out-thinking, out-working, harshing someone's mellow -- there's nothing like the feeling.
#8 wirraway on 2014-02-03 19:53 (Reply)
I retired at age 56. I actually enjoyed working and have worked two and even three jobs at a time. But it was different when the pressure and workload would have me working normal hours one week and 80 hours the next and often staying up for 48 hours striaght. But I enjoy retirement, I like to travel, read, take long walks and longer hikes, garden and work in my shop. My sister is retiring this year and I told her it's not for everyone, half joking. But it isn't. I think she will have a problem figuring out how to spend her days.
#9 GoneWithTheWind on 2014-02-03 21:00 (Reply)
I'm ambivalent. 66, but still useful in my field. A field that, done right, saves lives. I need that sort of responsibility to stay an anchor. Without it, I'm afraid, I'd aimlessly drift upon the shoals.

I take stock of my abilities, or lack of, every day. When the minuses out weight the pluses I'll quit. And die shortly after I suspect.

No purpose, no real concrete purpose, other than hedonism, then better I take a long walk in the snow, or, to the metaphor, short walk off the plank.
#10 XRay on 2014-02-03 21:23 (Reply)
I'm sorry. I didn't/don't mean to denigrate the many, multiple, extremely important activities that the retired engage in, which also saves lives. Just that I was born with a short fuse, I guess, or attention span. Damned if I know, I'm just drawn to action, immediate. Hedonist my self for such.
#10.1 XRay on 2014-02-03 21:51 (Reply)
In my profession, every year brings changes that reduce the professionalism and satisfaction of doing the job well, and encourages mindless "hitting the mark" on a list of goals which only crudely approximate doing the work well.

I want to be gone.
#11 RJ on 2014-02-03 21:54 (Reply)
I am going to turn 69 in a few months and I retired 7 months ago. I planed to work a lot longer but circumstances, cancer a few times and an injury left me kind of beat up and ready for a break. I now have time to write, read and travel and every morning, except Sunday when we go to church, is Saturday morning.

One of my best friends explained it to me this way, most of us don't retire until we either have enough or we've had enough. In my case good health and sanity do require projects and future plans, affordable things to do and places to go, in order for both for my wife and I to stay happy and healthy.
#12 OldTexan on 2014-02-04 08:07 (Reply)
My wife retired last year for 3 months, went crazy and is back working. Different strokes for different folks. Me, I will work until I cannot. Hobbies and slack time bore me to death.
#13 Front toward Enemy on 2014-02-04 08:26 (Reply)
I'm never going to retire. The great enemy of modern man, well provided for with food clothing and shelter, is boredom. I've watched too many older guys get so bored they drank themselves to death.

I must be doing something or I too get bored and drink, eye other women, or do other stupid things. Martinis at 7PM are good. At 7AM, not so much.
#14 Fred Z on 2014-02-04 11:53 (Reply)
If an individual has decent health and funds, (s)he at least has the bare necessities to choose to pursue happiness in retirement. To be idle is only one retirement choice; it isn't mandatory. To be in control of your life - that's Freedom.
#15 Gary Watts on 2014-02-04 13:53 (Reply)

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