Retirement is a social construct that makes people think at a certain age it’s time to relax and
do nothing for a while.
Though a nice idea, and a prime motivator behind today’s worker-bee wage-slave economy,
it’s just not something that reflects reality.
Avoid Being Sedentary
People tend to feel as though working day in and day out for thirty-odd years, accruing
retirement benefits, and then retiring to a life of leisure is a sustainable life choice.
Reality check: it’s not.
You work day in and day out like that for decades, suddenly you’re without a job and
bouncing around like a BB in a boxcar.
The Lens of Japan
In Japan, the issue affects both spouses in a marriage.
Women seem to be hit hardest by a syndrome called Retired Husband Syndrome, or RHS.
After forty years only having so much contact with their husbands, suddenly the man of the house
is practically omniscient, and it stresses his wife into physical ailments.
Likewise, the man knows not what to do with himself, and so ends up friendless and dependent
on his spouse.
America has different iterations of the same kind of thing, and it all has to do with looking at
life the wrong way.
We weren’t meant to consolidate our life into portions of work and non-work.
We were meant to be continuously productive from the time we’re born till the time we die.
This doesn’t necessarily mean working at a factory, or doing some meaningless task.
It does mean creation.
“When you retire, do something with yourself!
If you’re still alive, you’ve got a reason to live.
Whether or not you discover it
may just be up to you.”
What To Do
If you’re at retirement age, and haven’t the chance to avoid this pitfall, don’t fret: there are ways
to keep from stressing your spouse or becoming depressed; and one of the best means of doing
exactly this thing is commissioning a project of some variety.
How about a workshop?
If you’ve got an old shed, tear it down and build a new one.
Or build a greenhouse.
Or a bunker for when the other shoe drops and American economy bottoms out, facilitating all
the doomsday scenarios Hollywood has been fetishizing for decades.
You can build one extremely cheaply.
As a matter of fact, there are a number of prefabricated steel buildings that can be built for
between $16 and $20 a square foot.
That means you can do a 500 square-foot space for $10k.
Throw on a solar panel system of 3.1 kWh for around $5k, and you’ve got an energy-sustainable
space that you can do whatever you want with.
There are definitely some prime advantages to going the prefabricated route:
“It…offers simpler foundation designs, so your projects go up in no time.
If you need more space in a hurry, this is a great option.”
Just check out some of the prime designs located here.
Options like the P-model steel building are exceptionally popular based on their customizability,
strength, and utility.
Oh, The Possibilities
This can be your “man cave”.
Give the wife a break, go have a few beers with the guys and catch the game on an installed projector.
Build something with your woodworking tools.
Paint something.
Write something.
Compose something.
Create.
Don’t just sit on your duff and do nothing.
Socialize.
Imagine.
You may be getting on in years, but that doesn’t mean you’re diminishing in effectivity.
As a matter of fact, just the opposite should be happening.
With age comes experience, and with experience, wisdom.
Put that wisdom to work.
Help youngsters avoid the mistakes you’ve made.
Help peers escape driving their wives past insanity, or being depressed.
“We weren’t meant to consolidate our
life into portions of work and non-work.
We were meant to be continuously
productive from the time we’re born
till the time we die.”
Do something with yourself, and don’t be a voiceless wage-slave cog doomed to twilight years
of looming existential crisis.
If you’re still alive, you’ve got a reason to live.
Whether or not you discover it may just be up to you.
Are you retired or planning to retire soon?
What interesting projects would you like to do when you retire?
Share your thoughts and comments with us.
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