Current Events > do old people really need to retire?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I mean at least by choice they should be allowed to work if they want to. Maybe a specific slot for seniors where it's lighter workload.

From experience honestly old people declined after they stop working and a lot of people don't have real hobbies or passion to pursue, so after they stopped working, they just fall off the physical and mental health.

My late grandpa declined after he retired and died 3 years later.

I wish I could retire now...

It feels kinda fucked up that society has created the idea that there's no other way to busy yourself other than work. People become devoid of hobbies or passion because their time is already taken up.

I feel like we should work on letting people be able to do hobbies. We shouldn't be fostering a society where people want to work so they have something to do.

Also with jobs falling away to automation and whatnot, it's probably better we get the older people out of the work force so that the younger people have positions to start in.

I think it depends on the person. I know some people who feel kind of lost after they retire and it feels like they lost their identity. These were always people though that never felt comfortable being at home and lounging around the house or not being busy and yeah those are the ones that never seemed to have any real hobbies or passions. They just had work and grind grind grind. They don't know anything else.

I also know a lot of people that got WAY healthier and happier when they retired. They became more active doing pleasurable things but were just more active, worked out, ate better because they had the time to and stopped eating poorly because of shit schedule or picking up crappy food on the way to work.

Most people I know travel a lot after retirement and they really enjoy their life after a short adjustment and then they can't believe they ever had time to work all those hours they did because they are so busy in retirement with leisure activities.

There are really a lot of examples that go all different ways. I can tell you flat out while I love my job for having to have a job I'm not looking to work late into life. I'm 49 and really looking to stop in my mid to upper 50's.

My dad just retired last year and he is loving life. My grandpa is late 80's and has been retired for 20+ years and absolutely loves it. He never declined at all. But if someone WANTS to work, more power to them. Go for it. Won't be me and I'll never understand that but I support them wanting to do it.

if you can why wouldn't you?

tripleh213 posted...

I wish I could retire now...

Oh yeah, the problem is not retirement itself but lack of passion or other hobbies to pursue. If you have hobbies and retire, and keep doing that, it's fine, but you know a lot of people never have real interests so they just watch tv all day then die

The problem with retirement is having TOO much downtime with nothing to do. That's how people quickly die. If you retire, you need to be able to fill the void. Some people stay at work long after retirement age to cover that.

Yeah don't underestimate loneliness and lack of purpose. It can be a lot worse than working. Look at these NEETs, it isn't always what it's cracked up to be. I get it might not feel that way if you're shit tired from working a stressful job. I start feeling that way sometimes - like I don't want to work ever again. Then I take a couple of weeks off work eventually and want to get back to doing something productive.

doshindude posted...

The problem with retirement is having TOO much downtime with nothing to do. That's how people quickly die. If you retire, you need to be able to fill the void. Some people stay at work long after retirement age to cover that.

I also think there is an unfair stigma that you need to be busy and travel though and go out. I know plenty of people that are introverts who like to be at home and find the constant idea of going out and socializing exhausting. Others view staying home around the house as nothing to do when I don't think that is necessarily the way it should be looked at.

Like there is nothing wrong with chilling at home. That doesn't mean you are "doing nothing" I find it mentally stimulating to read books, listen to music, spend afternoons in the kitchen cooking from scratch and yes I like to play video games and watch tv/movies as a home theatre junkie. You can still find plenty of stimulation mentally and you can still be fairly active while still staying at home.

I know plenty of people that enjoyed retirement well into their 90's that liked to pretty much be left alone at home. Some of us thrive in those scenarios. But this definitely gets looked down upon by many when looking at retirement. There is this strong belief you have to be busy, leave the house, do stuff, travel, socialize, take day trips, yada yada.

Nah, some of us want to be left alone and what to others is "doing nothing" is a full day of pleasure and mental stimulation to us.

archizzy posted...

Like there is nothing wrong with chilling at home. That doesn't mean you are "doing nothing" I find it mentally stimulating to read books, listen to music, spend afternoons in the kitchen cooking from scratch and yes I like to play video games and watch tv/movies as a home theatre junkie. You can still find plenty of stimulation mentally and you can still be fairly active while still staying at home.

That's fine but if that's all you're doing day after day, week after week, year after year you will likely become isolated and weird. It's just how life goes.

apolloooo posted...

From experience honestly old people declined after they stop working and a lot of people don't have real hobbies or passion to pursue, so after they stopped working, they just fall off the physical and mental health.

I genuinely believe that it's the other way around. People often retired because they were forced to, and it was very likely that their health had already started to decline but it wasn't apparent yet. Working simply hid those issues, and it was only after they retired that they actually had time to go to the doctors -- only to discover their hidden issues.

archizzy posted...

like to play video games

this fills the void pretty good. i'll probably have to end up working when social security starts drying up to make up the lost income (have a mental disability that doesn't help social interaction enough to function for work environment).

they have help for people like me but i risk not getting much of a benefit for the work ie getting less from it.

No worries, the Guardians Of Pedophiles and their big monied daddies are doing their best to ensure nobody can ever retire.

They got you covered, fam.

Its always wild to me hearing about how people decline after retirement.

I feel like my mental health is at its worst when Im at work lol. I can think of a million other things Id rather be doing than my job and my mental health would improve drastically if I didnt have to work.

If I didn't have to work I would still have PLENTY to keep me occupied and I imagine I'd be happier as well.

If retirement leads to you declining? I imagine your work is your life, for me it's just how I pay the bills.

There's a 75 year old lady at my job and she basically said that she will keep working until she is physically unable to. Her reasoning is that she would be lonely otherwise, her whole family is dead. Husband and her two sons all passed away, her sister died and they didn't have any children so no nieces and nephews. She tell me and other coworkers that we're her children all the time, kinda sad tbh :/

Im planning to retire at around 45. Dont want to wait until Im over the hill.

But I still intend to keep busy. I think thats all you need. It doesnt have to be paid. Ill keep working on some fitness goals, get a bit more involved with a charity that I already do some stuff with, spend more time with family.

Ballinari posted...

There's a 75 year old lady at my job and she basically said that she will keep working until she is physically unable to. Her reasoning is that she would be lonely otherwise, her whole family is dead. Husband and her two sons all passed away, her sister died and they didn't have any children so no nieces and nephews. She tell me and other coworkers that we're her children all the time, kinda sad tbh :/

:(

at least she found a purpose now despite everything she went through

Everyone should "retire" and do work that is meaningful to them. There should be a stronger social safety net that allows individuals to sit with their thoughts and appreciate time. Time to learn something new. Time to support their community. Time with their loved ones. Time to invent or imagine something new.

papayapanda posted...

Everyone should "retire" and do work that is meaningful to them. There should be a stronger social safety net that allows individuals to sit with their thoughts and appreciate time. Time to learn something new. Time to support their community. Time with their loved ones. Time to invent or imagine something new.

That would be ideal.

I dont like the idea of work until you die. For some people maybe they genuinely love it and wouldnt have it any other way, for those people I guess then sure

its such a complex topic. On one hand you have young people wanting to start their careers but they cant because theres no jobs available. On the other hand, you have old people who cant retire because they never earned enough in their career to retire comfortably or even safely. Who is more important out of these groups of people? Business's generally tend to hate it when experienced people leave since they lose so much organisational knowledge, but this results in newer people being unable to start and build their skillsets and knowledge.

and then you have people who just love to work. Financially to them the job doesnt matter they just want the social interaction and the feeling of contributing and making a difference.

a lot of problems would be solved with universal basic income but not the social/mental health aspect there needs to be a complete societal shift away from valuing people based on their careers or monetary position. Thats even more unlikely to happen than UBI is. See the stigma against dole bludgers in Australia and even the stigma against the homeless globally but particularly America

apolloooo posted...

From experience honestly old people declined after they stop working and a lot of people don't have real hobbies or passion to pursue, so after they stopped working, they just fall off the physical and mental health.

that's known as a You problem, boomers.

My dad is still working half-time, if not more, at 81. I would say there was definitely value-added until his mid-70s. But now it's just something to do (he does not need the income). I plan to work until 70, but I'm not sure it will be possible.

Ballinari posted...

Her reasoning is that she would be lonely otherwise, her whole family is dead. Husband and her two sons all passed away, her sister died and they didn't have any children so no nieces and nephews.

i face that reality at times.

if i had a pet again it probably ease enough for me. unfortunately pets require money for care that i dont have enough of.

Id like to do something, just not a corporate slave and at my own terms

rexcrk posted...

Its always wild to me hearing about how people decline after retirement.

I feel like my mental health is at its worst when Im at work lol. I can think of a million other things Id rather be doing than my job and my mental health would improve drastically if I didnt have to work.

You say that now, but the reality would likely be different. When I quit my last job and was unemployed for 6 months, I saw that first hand. The first two or three weeks were great, no commitments and the freedom to do what I wanted when I wanted. But after a while, it started getting stale. Get out of bed, check my email, check job sites for new postings to apply. Repeat day after day. It felt like I was in a rut with nothing really changing. Going to get food became the high point of my week because it was something different and a reason to shower and get out of the house.

loafy013 posted...

You say that now, but the reality would likely be different. When I quit my last job and was unemployed for 6 months, I saw that first hand. The first two or three weeks were great, no commitments and the freedom to do what I wanted when I wanted. But after a while, it started getting stale. Get out of bed, check my email, check job sites for new postings to apply. Repeat day after day. It felt like I was in a rut with nothing really changing. Going to get food became the high point of my week because it was something different and a reason to shower and get out of the house.

It doesnt have to be that way though. Ive just had a couple of months off and could quite happily have another. Though I do think its a lot easier to enjoy time off if you also have adequate funds, which people between jobs often dont have (or they have them but dont know how long they have to make them last).

loafy013 posted...

You say that now, but the reality would likely be different. When I quit my last job and was unemployed for 6 months, I saw that first hand. The first two or three weeks were great, no commitments and the freedom to do what I wanted when I wanted. But after a while, it started getting stale. Get out of bed, check my email, check job sites for new postings to apply. Repeat day after day. It felt like I was in a rut with nothing really changing. Going to get food became the high point of my week because it was something different and a reason to shower and get out of the house.

Here is the funny thing, surprise, people are different. If I had the money not to work I would not work. And I know I would be happy and stay happy. Im not going to say people who feel like that are wrong, because again people are different, but that is a feeling I personally cannot understand,

suchiuomizu posted...

Here is the funny thing, surprise, people are different. If I had the money not to work I would not work. And I know I would be happy and stay happy. Im not going to say people who feel like that are wrong, because again people are different, but that is a feeling I personally cannot understand,

Once you dont have to work for money, it starts to become more about the meaning of your life. We work for sustenance, but ultimate realization comes from feeling fulfilled. You can have all the money in the world and still feel depressed because of this.

loafy013 posted...

You say that now, but the reality would likely be different. When I quit my last job and was unemployed for 6 months, I saw that first hand. The first two or three weeks were great, no commitments and the freedom to do what I wanted when I wanted. But after a while, it started getting stale. Get out of bed, check my email, check job sites for new postings to apply. Repeat day after day. It felt like I was in a rut with nothing really changing. Going to get food became the high point of my week because it was something different and a reason to shower and get out of the house.

Yeah nah.

About ten years ago I got injured at work and had to get hernia surgery so I was out for about 7 - 8 weeks.

Then the next year I had to get treatment for a herniated disc in my lower back and was out for about three months.

I can honestly say that there was not one single second when I was off where I would have rather been at work. Aside from being in pain, obviously, I was having the time of my life. I guess it helped that I had a shitty job back then, and it was the main cause of my injuries. But like, why would I be like gee Id rather be hauling groceries around, dealing with asshole customers and idiotic management instead of Id rather do whatever the fuck I want? lol

I have a million things I can do to keep myself entertained, and Id feel like a huge weight is lifted off of my shoulders if I knew I didnt have to waste my life at some shitty job where Im paid nowhere near as much as Im worth, especially for all the crap I have to deal with.

work is not a fun kind of socializing, surely it would be possible in other ways.

Rika_Furude posted...

a lot of problems would be solved with universal basic income but not the social/mental health aspect there needs to be a complete societal shift away from valuing people based on their careers or monetary position.

In the United States the biggest hurdle and thing that would solve a lot of issues is free or even very cheap/reasonable health care. Im in a retirement group with about half a million members of people all over the world sharing their stories. The majority are retired but there are some like me right on the cusp of it.

The thing I see ALL THE TIME from people in the U.S. are people that financially are sitting pretty good, want to retire, but lack of affordable medical coverage before 65 on Medicaid is preventing them from doing it. Some still go early and pay out the ass for a couple years but it prevents many from making that move. If there were better options you would see a lot more retire in their 50s than you do.

Its why so many retire overseas. Its not just that cost of living makes their money worth so much more its that specifically medical cost and health care is quite good in some of these other places. No doubt about it the biggest hurdle for potential retirement is medical coverage rather than people being financially unprepared but those people do exist as well sure.

If older people dont retire, positions dont open up for younger people. That could become a huge problem with people living longer and longer.

Otherwise it doesnt matter if people want to keep working. But many people dont have a choice. If they are let go, they are likely to have great difficulty finding something new, unless they are among the wealthy elite, who probably are the most able to retire and find something else to do (and be able to afford it).

If you work to live, you will enjoy retirement.

If you live to work, you won't enjoy retirement.

Sariana21 posted...

If older people dont retire, positions dont open up for younger people. That could become a huge problem with people living longer and longer.

Otherwise it doesnt matter if people want to keep working. But many people dont have a choice. If they are let go, they are likely to have great difficulty finding something new, unless they are among the wealthy elite, who probably are the most able to retire and find something else to do (and be able to afford it).

Funnily enough, the people Ive known who actually have the ability to retire early very rarely want to do so.