Re-think about Retirement
Miss Nomad came by during CNY and messed up my retirement plan. Darn.
But it was a good mess up cuz it is good to start re-thinking about growing old.
And growing old in Singapore especially.
Ms. Nomad shared her experience of volunteer work with old folks. The plight of the old folks is tough to swallow. And we concluded that in old age - there is strong positive correlation between "happiness and the amount of money you have", much more than any other stage in your life.
Imagine - you like TV, much like my Hubby, but to save money on utilities, no TV/ VCD.
You like to cook to save some $ on food, but utilities are expensive so you end up buying instead, and split the purchased food for 2 meals.
The state of old age, and I am talking about age about 65, can be pathetic in Singapore.
Especially if no one takes care of you.
Especially if you do not have much money.
So I woke up. We should not be planning for retirement - I mean I never really think about my life beyond 55. We should be thinking about growing old, like really old which is alike age 70 and above.
The media shows fulfilling old age life - but those people have money to see them through.
People who have less will not even talk about quality of life, its about survival, and frankly, at that age, it is perhaps, easier to just die off.
Is our society punishing the old? Sometimes I can't help but think we are.
All the talk about savings, non welfare state, and upgrading your skill so you can find a job, blah blah blah. Come on, like hubby said very rightly - "These people worked for all their lives"!! At the age of 70, what more can they do? What more does the state want them to do?!
What freaking skill upgrade are we talking about - the reality is there will be a generation gap - the old aged learning computer skill now will not be able to work adequately in the office environment still - and I am not even talking about whether companies want to employ them or not. I am only 30, but I can already foresee that the world my kids will grow up in will be freaking different, and all that we know will be very rightly obsolete, as one of my friends keeps reminding my baby.
So even if these people want to work - the forces working against them are too great - physically they may be too weak even if the spirit is willing. And after tolling all their lives away, the world that they find themselves in when they grow old are no longer what they are familiar with - (apparently, letters to these old folks -knowing they are old folks are still written in English - for what?! like they know how to read - so you have volunteers like Ms. Nomad reading letters for them!). They are alienated in such a world, and we really blame them for not trying hard enough?! Do we have to play catch up all our lives, is that the message that our government is saying?
And if we can't catch up, then is it only right that we are punished? Do we have to make this world so terrible when we clearly have the capacity to do otherwise?? In singapore, do we only value those who have contributed and marginalised those who have contributed all their lives?!
I always think we should have some kind of welfare state - at least for the old aged, i.e. those really old like 65 and beyond.
We value and respect the old, so the government preached - it is in our tradition to respect the old. Confucious will agree a lot.
Then why can't the state support these folks? I will be very willing to have my taxes go to these lonely old folks.
The state claims they do help those needy old folks.. yar.. riiiight.
Those on Special Assistance scheme are given like 200 plus a month, but they have to use part of that money to pay rent. Duh - left pocket out and right pocket in. What is so wrong with just letting them stay FOC, already they are on Special Assistance scheme right?
Do have to be so anti-welfare state that we build in these bureaucratic measures so that we can claim that we are NOT a welfare state?!
And let's project the future - the current batch of old folks had it tough all their lives, many are migrants who know hardship as it is. So they can "dong" this pathetic state of life.
People our age - the post 65 generation, many are used to having it good - seriously.
When they grow old, can they bear the hardship that comes with limited money, loneliness and lack of assistance? Frankly, I think we are gonna have more problems with the post 65 old folks.
And i think I better start thinking about how Hubby and I are gonna spend our days when we are 70. Let's not expect our kids will do anything for us, if they do, that will be the icing on the cake. Let's try to survive old age ourselves - sans kids, and sans state.
And suddenly, I am very afraid.
Hubby says he will watch TV everyday to pass time - so we need some money for TV gadgets (or whatever they have 30 years from now) and money for utility bills.
I think i don't mind playing Mahjong all day - be it cyber or physical, so i will need a laptop or MJ kakis. Which made me remember the vision we had with our MJ kakis, that we will live on the same floor of the same estate when we grow old, and have a table permanently outside our homes. And play Mahjong till the cow comes home. Not bad - very economical way to spend time. Nice.
But it was a good mess up cuz it is good to start re-thinking about growing old.
And growing old in Singapore especially.
Ms. Nomad shared her experience of volunteer work with old folks. The plight of the old folks is tough to swallow. And we concluded that in old age - there is strong positive correlation between "happiness and the amount of money you have", much more than any other stage in your life.
Imagine - you like TV, much like my Hubby, but to save money on utilities, no TV/ VCD.
You like to cook to save some $ on food, but utilities are expensive so you end up buying instead, and split the purchased food for 2 meals.
The state of old age, and I am talking about age about 65, can be pathetic in Singapore.
Especially if no one takes care of you.
Especially if you do not have much money.
So I woke up. We should not be planning for retirement - I mean I never really think about my life beyond 55. We should be thinking about growing old, like really old which is alike age 70 and above.
The media shows fulfilling old age life - but those people have money to see them through.
People who have less will not even talk about quality of life, its about survival, and frankly, at that age, it is perhaps, easier to just die off.
Is our society punishing the old? Sometimes I can't help but think we are.
All the talk about savings, non welfare state, and upgrading your skill so you can find a job, blah blah blah. Come on, like hubby said very rightly - "These people worked for all their lives"!! At the age of 70, what more can they do? What more does the state want them to do?!
What freaking skill upgrade are we talking about - the reality is there will be a generation gap - the old aged learning computer skill now will not be able to work adequately in the office environment still - and I am not even talking about whether companies want to employ them or not. I am only 30, but I can already foresee that the world my kids will grow up in will be freaking different, and all that we know will be very rightly obsolete, as one of my friends keeps reminding my baby.
So even if these people want to work - the forces working against them are too great - physically they may be too weak even if the spirit is willing. And after tolling all their lives away, the world that they find themselves in when they grow old are no longer what they are familiar with - (apparently, letters to these old folks -knowing they are old folks are still written in English - for what?! like they know how to read - so you have volunteers like Ms. Nomad reading letters for them!). They are alienated in such a world, and we really blame them for not trying hard enough?! Do we have to play catch up all our lives, is that the message that our government is saying?
And if we can't catch up, then is it only right that we are punished? Do we have to make this world so terrible when we clearly have the capacity to do otherwise?? In singapore, do we only value those who have contributed and marginalised those who have contributed all their lives?!
I always think we should have some kind of welfare state - at least for the old aged, i.e. those really old like 65 and beyond.
We value and respect the old, so the government preached - it is in our tradition to respect the old. Confucious will agree a lot.
Then why can't the state support these folks? I will be very willing to have my taxes go to these lonely old folks.
The state claims they do help those needy old folks.. yar.. riiiight.
Those on Special Assistance scheme are given like 200 plus a month, but they have to use part of that money to pay rent. Duh - left pocket out and right pocket in. What is so wrong with just letting them stay FOC, already they are on Special Assistance scheme right?
Do have to be so anti-welfare state that we build in these bureaucratic measures so that we can claim that we are NOT a welfare state?!
And let's project the future - the current batch of old folks had it tough all their lives, many are migrants who know hardship as it is. So they can "dong" this pathetic state of life.
People our age - the post 65 generation, many are used to having it good - seriously.
When they grow old, can they bear the hardship that comes with limited money, loneliness and lack of assistance? Frankly, I think we are gonna have more problems with the post 65 old folks.
And i think I better start thinking about how Hubby and I are gonna spend our days when we are 70. Let's not expect our kids will do anything for us, if they do, that will be the icing on the cake. Let's try to survive old age ourselves - sans kids, and sans state.
And suddenly, I am very afraid.
Hubby says he will watch TV everyday to pass time - so we need some money for TV gadgets (or whatever they have 30 years from now) and money for utility bills.
I think i don't mind playing Mahjong all day - be it cyber or physical, so i will need a laptop or MJ kakis. Which made me remember the vision we had with our MJ kakis, that we will live on the same floor of the same estate when we grow old, and have a table permanently outside our homes. And play Mahjong till the cow comes home. Not bad - very economical way to spend time. Nice.
posted by Miu at
11:46 PM
1 Comments:
Sorry dun mean to dash your dreams.
Yah, it's time to gather our buddies and live together during our old age. I can already imagine Bak Chew sending me to my room for meditation when I get cranky. Haa...
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home