Working for the rest of your life may sound unappealing, but 100-year-olds around the globe say not retiring is what keeps them feeling youthful and fulfilled.
While it is dystopian that many people have to end up working beyond retirement age, I can see why some people choose to take on a “retirement job”.
Our jobs are what we do for the majority of our time, for better or worse, so once you retire there’s suddenly a purposeless void where work used to be. To keep your mind going and your body moving, you need to fill that void with things you want to do - but for a lot of people it’s hard to do that sustainably, so after a few years they need something else, and for some people that’s a “retirement job”.
It’s for worse for sure. What if people didn’t have to worry in their 30s, 40s, and 50s about sustaining their livelihood in late stage capitalism and could instead focus on what makes them happy? I bet “retirement jobs” would look a lot different.
While it is dystopian that many people have to end up working beyond retirement age, I can see why some people choose to take on a “retirement job”.
Our jobs are what we do for the majority of our time, for better or worse, so once you retire there’s suddenly a purposeless void where work used to be. To keep your mind going and your body moving, you need to fill that void with things you want to do - but for a lot of people it’s hard to do that sustainably, so after a few years they need something else, and for some people that’s a “retirement job”.
Yeah there’s nothing wrong with people choosing to work out of boredom. The issue is when they have to, like you said.
Choosing to work because you’re bored and depressed is just a paid hobby
It’s for worse for sure. What if people didn’t have to worry in their 30s, 40s, and 50s about sustaining their livelihood in late stage capitalism and could instead focus on what makes them happy? I bet “retirement jobs” would look a lot different.