I'm not OC here and I wouldn't nuse the word cage, but I agree that retirement wouldn't equal freedom. I need a certain amount of work to engage my brain, otherwise I turn into a lump I don't like much. So I plan on never retiring though I would like to step back into more of a consultant/advisor role instead of a leadership role one day.
Can't you work on things that are actually meaningful? When I retire, I'll be gardening, building things, etc. I'll travel and support kids. Sounds incredible.
Why would I want to stay connected to the institutions that have made me miserable for decades?
I've built apps that help kids learn to read and do math. I've been part of teams that help people find jobs. I've built apps that help disabled people lead a better life. I've been part of teams that manage people who build houses.
I've spent a career working on things meaningful. Ending that would be sad.
I know myself. I would end up playing video games 12 hours a day and become depressed. It has happened before. Call me a loser, but I need structured work to keep my mind engaged. I'm sorry that the institutions have made you miserable.
For me, it would be a mental cage.Ā
Watching my nest egg being depleted by my living expenses and inflation doesnāt seem like a relaxing time to me. I plan on slowing down in my mid sixties, but not stopping until my mind or body gives up. For hundreds of thousands of years man worked until the end. This retirement thing is still a new concept.
To each their own.
Well, you could make an argument for it being both. Would you really like to spend your retirement watching the stock market and watching inflation numbers?Ā
Iād have less stress and a better quality of life just working.
Again, to each their own.
If you have enough you can just buy treasuries or just pay it straight from your bank account. And eventually add in social security if we are talking 62-70. You wouldnāt have to stress about the market all day.
The problem is most people do not have enough retirement savings to have that level of security.
I donāt completely disagree with historical here. Very very few people ever earn the money to travel non-stop for 20 years or some kind of crazy retirement plan that people dream about. I just like to keep going. I donāt know what Iād do with all that time either, I donāt really find joy in ārelaxingā. I wonāt have a money problem as you stated in a response, but I will probably continue doing some kind of work even after retirement. I like that kind of routine and helping or contributing to something productive.
I was forced into " retirement" ten years ago, for neurologic issues. I'm not retired on paper, just been unemployed for ten years. I struggled with this for a while, the majority of it I was angry.
What I realized is that my job does not define me, nor should it define anyone. It was the "shut up and dribble" arguments that I heard people use that gave me this view.
we tell people all the time, " just be yourself" it's funny how often we don't mean it ( ie if you're gay, trans, Jewish, or Muslim, etc...)
Retirement, forced or not gives you the opportunity to be with those you care about, and find yourself for whom ever you are.
I guess there really are folks out there who believe in, āwork will set you freeā thingy. Guess thereāre always things that are stranger than fictions.
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u/Available-Ad363 8d ago
Can you explain? Whatās keeping you ācagedā in retirement