Publish at February 03 2014 Updated May 01 2024
When you can no longer keep up the pace of effort and performance that you used to be able to sustain with ease, you feel worn out and tired, and look forward to your well-earned retirement, when your days will be more peaceful. Obsolescence is more insidious: what we're doing is simply no longer relevant, and we can sometimes continue to do it for reasons that have nothing to do with reality, without understanding that it's not wear and tear that's the problem. In such cases, we have good reason to fear retirement: the ties that bind us to the world disappear.
A search for "Retirement" on the Internet reveals that the space is essentially occupied by economic considerations and, further down the line, socio-medical ones. Funds, insurance, pensions and everything to do with leaving one's job are at the heart of the preoccupations followed by worries about degeneration and its implications, both individual and social.
The reality is far from the figures and expert advice. In retirement, at 10.30 a.m. on a grey Tuesday morning in one's own home, it's amazing what these considerations look like. In retirement, there's a change of status, relationships and activities, with all the uncertainties and doubts these changes bring about as to one's ability to cope.If we can't do much about wear and tear, we can fortunately intervene successfully against obsolescence, which has nothing to do with age. Now that we can choose goals we like, with just the right amount of pressure if we want it, pleasure can take many forms. But you have to put a bit of effort into it, and in this case, nobody can do it for you.
It doesn't take much to become an "obsolete" nerd. The term "retiree" is like a social black hole that swallows everything without giving anything back. So it's best to think of yourself as a "craftsman", "horticulturist", "volunteer", "investor", "moral supporter", "photographer" or whatever you like to call yourself. The more of these you have, the more recognition and esteem you can claim, even if it's only your own.
Without considering the great human beings who have renewed themselves many times in their lives, even at an advanced age, we can each do so on our own scale. No one expects anything from "retirees", the field is open, including business start-ups! Even if you don't know anything about a field that interests you, you have nothing to lose by trying it out; you can start with a course :
A retiree is certainly more interesting with a title other than "retired"; "student" has a rejuvenating effect. You can even take an interest in gerontology, a subject that will become increasingly important; there's no risk of obsolescence in the years to come.
With 40 to 60 more hours to occupy per week, sleeping in isn't usually enough to fill the void, nor are our occasional pre-retirement activities, even if we stretch them. The "retired" black hole lurks, and the TV is just waiting to suck us in for good. New activities keep us in orbit. New relationships will keep us in their affectionate field.
Cultural, sporting and social activities, social networking, editorial activity - all will be better than the passivity of television, which is currently the main occupation of retirees. While currently around 18% of retirees participate in social networking on the Internet, a further 25% are thinking of joining in, and this number will only increase over the years. Virtual social networks are recognized as a way of maintaining and enriching social ties, especially among those who are more isolated and less mobile.
Better than the virtual, people who volunteer are clearly busier than others: they meet people in rich interactions that spill over into the domestic sphere. In almost every region, there are websites that bring together volunteer opportunities in different fields. From club leadership to tutoring to board membership, the field is vast and can be adapted to anyone's interests, provided they have them. What's more, they often offer training courses for newcomers.
In all cases, taking part in activities stimulates and gives you something to talk about and share... so you stay interesting, with substance. Even when worn out, we remain appreciated and, above all, not at all obsolete.
Like all those elders who shared their wisdom via text message !
Photo credit: PhOtOnQuAnTiQuE / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND
References:
New studies confirm high danger of television - Louise Renard - International News
http://www.internationalnews.fr/article-29319146.html
(We're apparently more active in our brains when we're asleep than when we're watching TV; TV seems highly unsuitable as a degeneration-prevention activity)
Le Tube - Peter Entell - Frank Lloyd Wright presentation - Explanatory text and video. http://www.daphilda.org/tube/tube2.html
Agence pour la création d'entreprises - APCE - Senior/retired - According to APCE, 20% of company founders are 50 or over the year they start their business, and 7% of them are over 60.
http://www.apce.com/cid59137/senior-retraite.html
You might also like:
Working remotely, the Thot experience: from 1996 to 2020
We have been working remotely since 1996. This is the story of the integration of technology into Thot Cursus' practices. We can draw useful conclusions for all institutions and companies that are starting to use it.
This summer, I become a host family for a foreign student
We can't talk enough about the benefits of language immersion, so for once, why not change places and become a host family for a young foreign student, for the duration of the vacations, in order to share your culture, your traditions and of course your language?
Why and how to keep a good journal? [Guide]
From experience, I know that it is impossible not to change for the better by keeping a journal. If you have never kept a journal, or if you stopped after your teenage years, I really hope this article will inspire you to start again. The personal, professional, psychological and productivity benefits are countless.
Cooking at school? An extensive repertoire of transformative activities already on offer. Smells and tastes great.
Sharing for better preservation: a strategy for learning!
When we share a material good, we divide it, whereas when we share an immaterial good, we multiply it. It is therefore in one's best interest to share one's knowledge and learning in order to multiply it... A pragmatic approach can be to document one's work and then share these documents.
