Personal Commentary

"Retirement means death" said MM Lee, "Do not retire"

I feel that while retirement may be boring and meaningless to some, for example MM Lee, many people would not think so.

Retirement has meant different things to different people. For some (like me) it means finally getting to relax--finally getting to see others do YOUR job for once. It embodies the all-powerful feeling of knowing that you've served your purpose. Retirement is the time when you truly open your eyes to the meaning of the word 'life'.

But I can understand the need for some to work on and on. After all, you've worked so hard to get to this stage--why stop now? And some will never get used to the feeling of having nothing to do. Like MM Lee said, retiring at 55 would leave you with nothing to do except play golf, read books, and enjoying a glass of fine wine.

To work is to be fit, said MM Lee. To isolate yourself from all this is to cause weakness to yourself. To him, the biggest torture would be to be isolated from the outside world.

But does retirement really mean isolating yourself? After all, Singapore is an "ageing society". Surely there wouldn't be a lack of retirement buddies?

And about keeping yourself fit. when was there a law stating that one could not excercise after retirement? After all, isn't golf a sport too?

And about an artistic Singapore. The retired could easily take up art classes or cultural classes! Whoever said that after retirement, the old folks would be 'abandoned and live under bridges'(there aren't many bridges you can sleep under in Singapore anyway)? To cultivate a society rich in arts and culture, the citizens have to have time. God knows how much free time a working individual has! From 6p.m., people start living! Do you seriously expect people to build up the society's 'arts and culture' then?

Didn't think so. That's right! Singapore cannot develop her arts and culture without free people. Yes, that means the jobless. Which also means the retired(the young and jobless are too busy finding a job)! "But there are those whose proffessions are in the arts!" you say? Well, it's great that you're attuned to reality! That was my point! There are only a small handful developing the arts! And to the experts who say that we need 8 hours of sleep and to those who say we should work 12 hours a day, tell me, how much time do we have left? Transport alone would take up an hour at least, and time spent in the bathroom would take another 15 minutes. We need to do our household chores. "Family matters!" they say. What, 45 minutes to spend with our families a day? And did I mention the time needed to purchase groceries or eating? Let's face it, citizens have no time whatsoever to be bothered with the arts or the long-forgotten culture.

And is it really a fair assumption that old folks tarnish our culture?

Well, I, at least, think this: what's the harm in enjoying yourselves in your golden years? Statistics show that the average longevity of a Singaporean is around 80 years. Imagine going to work at that age! So, I honestly feel that retiring is a good choice, as long as we choose carefully when to retire, and, basically, to lnow when to stop.