July 27, 2006

Stigma surrounds idea of retirement

By George Fulmore

   IN THE BOOK "The Decline and Fall of the American Automobile Industry," by Brock Yates (Empire Books, 1983), there is a lengthy section that describes the work environment of the GM executives of that time: "This is a cut (throat) system that goes on for your entire career. ... It's relentless pressure. Even after retirement, these guys keep going as consultants. They have been on the run with their hearts going 180 beats a minute for 40 years. They can't stop.
What's more, it's a sign of weakness if they go lie in the sun."

   The quote points out the perception by many that it would be unrealistic to compare a successful life in retirement with a retirement life "in the sun."
Even the thought can be scary. After all the years of working hard to build up one's workplace identity, how can one even begin to promote the idea that life beyond the workplace is of comparable worth?

   But there are those who sail into retirement with ease. They reject the perception that life after work is inherently inferior. Many, if not most, believe just the opposite: that life after work can be more rewarding than life in the workplace.

   Which way are those baby boomers headed, you ask? Some pundits think most will turn against a traditional retirement lifestyle. Author and marketing consultant Ken Dychtwald says, "After taking a sabbatical to clear their minds and recharge their batteries, many (retirees) will re-enter the work force. Work is engagement, and the baby boomers want to stay in the game."

   These two positions, one that says that retirement is to be resisted to the end, the other that says that after trying it for a while it will be rejected, are the two major positions against traditional retirement. They are based on the perception that life in the fast lane of work is life at its best, and that life on the beach is a waste of human potential.

   But the reality, I think, is that most boomers will choose to begin their Social Security benefits by age 62 and not look back. And surveys that have projected that the majority of them will work full or part time after retirement will prove to be wrong.

   No, for those who can afford it, retirement, today, with its many individual definitions, has become our "American dream." And once a retiree gets over the initial transitions and into the groove of a balanced life in retirement, the adage "I don't know how I ever had time to work" kicks in.