A SENIOR RUMBLES!

When YT was young, she thought of retirement as the time when she could drop everything and just follow her heart's desires. Sit by the serene river side, just soaking in the wonder of nature...,time by her side, a padlock and secured golden chest at her disposal, funds surviving her. No worries whatever! Oh! The naivety of the young mind!

Then, the time came and she actually took some time off to heal and rejuvenate, but she found that dreams do not always meet reality.. other factors had moved in...retirement had lost its appeal.....perhaps reality cautions that the R word does not work in this modern, fast moving world, for many of the seniors out there, that is. First of all, your so called golden nest, had turned copper and perhaps bronze. The value of the currency had depleted so much, your purchasing power had gone to the dogs. Sadly, while quality, standard, and value of goods etc..had gone down the drain, prices had rocked sky high and it looks like, before long, one would need to board Air Asia or Firefly to reach and get to whatever essentials, we took for granted and for so long.

Ordinary man on the streets can no longer afford to retire. And then there is the question of lonliness and the danger of being alienated from the rest of the world. The little ones would have grown and left to built their own nests. All that is left are two old folks in the once lively home. If you have a partner who looks after you, keep you well taken cared off, secured and in good spirits, consider yourself lucky and blessed..so many others are NOT so lucky and needed the company of others.

When autumn knocks, sometimes, the cold icy wind could be a little too much and we need others to share their warmth with us, even if it is just for a little while. Communication, the human touch...yes people, do not scoff, it is very much an ingredient for quality living, to keep sane, especially in autumn and winter.

Science has seen to it that people live longer and older now, perhaps ten, twenty years longer than before. The initial joy of free living could really turn very monotonous and strainous on.... well, it actually depends on what type of house you had built- a house of straw, a house of sticks or a house of stone.....but then, irrespective whether people could afford to retire or not, golden people has much to offer- their knowledge, their expertize, their wisdom etc.. etc..nutrition should NOT be wasted but put to good use and for as long as possible.

It is up to people, especially the young, to change their mindset, and not think that OLD means Less Valuable. Make good use of capable seniors..let them continue working for as long as their limbs and minds allow them.

Young people will one day grow old as well...it is a vicious cycle so, by giving opportunities to the strong and capable seniors, you are laying the groundworks, setting up pathways for your own survival when oneday, you enter the realm of your own senior years. Of course we do have some bad apples, forever talking carp.. filter them and place them with the weeds by the roadside to survive as best as they could..

But to those ..who wants to continue working and is capable of doing so for so many needy reasons of their own....give them the opportunity plus a decent wage..no difference from your other regular staff...retirees need to survive too, more than ever in this period of their lives!