The Prime Minister was this week encouraging us all to follow his lead, and stay in the workforce until our late 60s - in an effort to ensure Australia’s future prosperity.
Mr Howard says some of us are retiring too early, at 55.
What do you think of the prospect of working until you’re in your mid to late sixties? Is it something you welcome - or something you’ll be doing your best to get out of?
How old were you when you retired? Do you wish you’d stayed in the workforce? Are you about to retire? Or maybe you’ve just entered the workforce…how do you feel about spending the next fifty odd years working?
FOR
Mr Howard said one of the reasons why we should keep working is because we might ‘go to pieces’ if we stop working all of a sudden, after leading a very busy life.
He said: "They (retirees) are used to being relevant and useful and then all of a sudden they find they're not.” Is that your experience?
We all need to work longer for the sake of the economy as well apparently
AGAINST
On the other hand, if you could afford to retire at 55, or 30 for that matter, why wouldn’t you? There’s plenty of things to do in the world apart from paid work. You could learn a new language, volunteer some time at an organisation, play tennis, travel….
And is seventy too old to properly enjoy your retirement? At that age do you still feel like joining the grey nomads and touring around Australia in your campervan?
So - do you agree with the Prime Minister – that we should be staying in the workforce longer? What’s your understanding of retirement, and when do you hope to take it?
What do you think?
Comments (1)
I'm of Maori heritage and in our culture their is an unbroken line in the family unit. Older people are always respected as elders and are expected to be cared for by the family.
My two grandparents died in our house surrounded by the whole family. We were called home from school moments before they died. I suppose what I am saying is this; when do older people cease to be family and when does our care for them cease?
In our culture Aged care homes are not an option.
For myself, my wife and I have 12 children and we are aged 46 & 47. Our children are already arguing over who will have mum and dad. Each of them wants to care for us in our old age. I think it is sad when the value of the older person is depreciated.
However these things follow the natural flow of a contrary world view to the Bible. Abortion, euthanasia are considered ethical means to a relative or sociological end.
And thats because the Christian has lost the consensus so the empiricist and the pantheist have seized the opportuniy.
Posted by Hona Wikeepa | April 23, 2007 12:33 PM
Posted on April 23, 2007 12:33