Monday, November 26, 2007
Whatcha gonna do in your second life?
From the RoundTable blog
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Ford is a retiree who lives in Roanoke County.
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
— Winston Churchill.
Liza Field said in her Oct. 20 column that she had been reading some poems of ancient Zen poets, many of whom considered age 70 to be the “age of enlightenment.” She went on to report how ex-Roanoker Judy Furr continues her work for our environment as she enters her 70s.
Some who have passed the end of midlife seek advice in such areas as health, finances, travel and spiritual growth. Some fill much of their time playing golf, tennis and bridge, or watching TV. For many, the American dream of retirement is one big, happy holiday, but this no longer works for those whose vision is a second career.
Their vision could entail continued income or a new meaning for their lives, such as making contributions to society.
They used to seek freedom from work; now many seek freedom to work.
For most Americans, the definition of success includes “more is always better,” which becomes a never-ending chore and a race without a winner. If we look, we will see that most of us have enough and that we can be grateful for what we have.
As the aging of the boomers is now here, we are told that four out of five expect to work well past age 65. Some boomers may recall the idealism of the ’60s and ’70s and choose to use their time, talent and experience for the betterment of society. They may want to reconsider how much time they want to spend playing games and pursuing other pastimes.
George Bernard Shaw said, “This is the true joy in life — being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die. For the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It’s sort of a splendid torch which I’ve got to hold up for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”
