Should you wait to retire?

Should elders be forced to the sidelines?

“At the turn of the 20^th century,” wr ites Cheryl Petersen, author of 21^st Century Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. “the concept of retirement emerged. Like weeds in a garden, older people were being removed from the workforce to accommodate the burgeoning industrial age which required the quickness and agility of the younger generation. After World War II, when soldiers returned to the United States needing jobs, those over 65-years of age were expected to move over. Retirement became an industry, and within two generations, society’s consciousness had adjusted to the indoctrination that retirement is desirable, even deserved. But the axiom, to work is to live still pulls clout and some rethinking is beneficial.”

Should elders be forced to the sidelines?

Peterson continues: Senior citizens are commonly associated with meal discounts, complacent entertainment, and folks leisurely enjoying the fruits of their labor. But this picture comes attached to a heavy burden. Because the American public has so completely internalized retirement, older people fall prey to senility and disadvantages, even older people who still work have a difficult time keeping up. Many lack vision. For example, retired couples get on one another’s nerves. Retired individuals take up the job of becoming chronically unhealthy. Some act as if they are now only responsible for maintaining a status-quo.