What is the recipe for staying alive after retirement!

Someone sent me an extract from our MM LKY on the abovementioned subject. How true it is  that when we feels that at 55 and more we can relax and do nothing, that is the greatest mistake we will have made in our life!

The human being is a social animal. We need to work, to socialise, to be involve in some form of activities. We need stimuli, we need to meet people, to catch up with the world, if we isolate ourselves we are done for!

When we are younger, doing a cross-country run is no issue, swimming ten to twenty laps is no ptoblem! As we grow older, it quite a different story. We move slower, we lack stamina, we suffer muscle cramps! 

 

17 thoughts on “What is the recipe for staying alive after retirement!”

  1. Hi Dan & other SHCians,
    I do have mixed feelings about retirement and have been contemplating to do so for the past 2 yrs. I was afraid that after retiring, I mite regret when I feel bored.

    When work get too stressed out, I kept thinking of retiring but when things were better, I 4got the word -“retirement”
    because I’m the type who can’t sit still & do nothing. Partly, I’ve very nice colleagues surrounding me.

    I need some advice fr some retirees but pls don’t ask me to read a book.
    Undecisive,
    Cat Ho

  2. Steven, I am more than ok, thanks, busy with my SPools projects as the hunting season comes to a close. In my little free time, i wont dupe anyone, whether he’s the elected MP or a defenceless gadget MP3.

    Also hv been busy watching the scriptures Tong Sum Zhong and his disciple monkey brought back thousands of years ago from India being reproduced ad nauseum by, coincidentally, also a monk & his animal : solomonk & his old donkey.

    Dupe? Yes, it’s there to read………….

  3. Hi Tim Liu,

    You have been “unusually” quiet with too little comments as compared to your cheerful normal self esp.these few days.

    I sense that you are either not well or too busy at work.

    Are you OK?

    Take GOOD care and smoke less,

    SC

  4. Hi Terence

    Whether it is a white or black horse, so long it can travel a thousand li, it is an excellent horse, ???. – KYL, Singapore too.

    Whether it is a white or black cat, so long it can catch rats, it is a good cat. VP Teng, China

    Hope you like them too.

  9. The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said – Peter Drucker

    Stay connected and engaged with purposeful, meaningful and worthwhile relationships, ventures and things, is one key element to remain relevant, useful, helpful, humble and happy after 45.
    – KYL, Singapore

  10. Appropriate Chinese idioms :

    ????,???? – influence of companionship : white or black

    ???? (jing1 wei4 fen1 ming2- can distinguish between pros and cons

    ???? (si-1 qian2 xiang3 hou4)- think of the past, consider the future

  11. Why wd a smoker want to kick the habit of smoking when neither DanH and AndrewK wants to kick the bucket?

    It’ll come the day when both DanH and AndrewK are spotted breathing out smoke from their noses, with a cigar and a pipe in the mouth and packets of marlboro stacked on their heads like they do with dinghill……..oops, dunhill, I mean.

  12. Dear Dan at #4

    Quite an order to share how to be an overcomer.

    1)In my life with the private, people and public sectors, I do mingle with people of all ages, from the humble to rulers and “royalty” (all walks of life) and also the excellent, good, bad, ugly and the obnoxious.

    2)I learned from Miss Lillian Glass how to manage good people as well as toxic ones.

    She has written a book on “Handling Toxic People”.

    Forgiveness is the first step : forgive oneself and others, and live with love, thoughtfulness and truth.

    I learned forgiveness at my tender age of 10 through an incident.

    3)During that young age, a senior teacher walked into my class, pointed at me, demanded that I stand up and shout my name for my whole class to hear.

    I dutifully stood up and called out my name. He then demanded that I shout for the entire school to hear otherwise he would cane me. I called out twice. He was not satisfied and rushed down three flights of stairs to pick up his cane.

    He called the next door form teacher to witness his caning. He gave me two strokes on my buttock and remarked : tell your poor father to report to the Ministry.

    As he went down, I recalled a passage about forgiving one’s enemies. I forgave him as he ran down the stairs.

    The teacher who witnessed the caning shed tears, so were some of my classmates. Between her sobbing, gently she remarked: your future is ruined if you could not handle this, so be strong.

    I treasure her kind words.

    I did not feel any shame or pain.

    As he went to pick his cane, I had a fresh overcoming thought. I slipped one exercise book inside my trousers.

    Surely, he could have felt the exercise book as he caned twice. I believed because of his temper and ego, he did not.

    4)Three years later, as a young Sec 2 boy, I was made the parade commander of about 300 Red Cross cadets. Was the top boy in my class during Sec 1 and topped in Maths at form level.

    5)From an internal spiritual fruit, one draws tremendous strength: forgive and love.

    Stay clear of profanity, obvious dark habits and live with an increasing measure of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-discipline.

    6)I do have friends who are smokers. One year ago, a cleaner contractor and a condo manager used to smoke 2-3 packs of cigarettes daily; today, half a pack.

    When they have fellowship with me, they do not smoke no matter how much they wanted.

    I spoke enough to them about the harm of smoking, it is up to them to discipline themselves. By faith, they will not smoke!

  13. Dear Dan

    In that book of Napoleon Hill, he described at least five areas of richness : physical, mental, intellectual, social and spiritual.

    If not, perhaps, I would be inspired to do so.

    In each of these, there are sections on how to achieve success and greatness and how to attain them and the stewardship of talents and gifts.

    Money and wealth is just one of many. Also, there is a wise part : do not weary yourself to gain wealth.

    Contentment and wisdom in using and financial stewardship are the keys, not the amount but the value and meaning one derives from.

    Age is a mere digit to every fit, robust and healthy individual.

    ” For as he thinks within himself, so is he” – another wise saying of King Solomon.

  14. Hi Andrew Kuan n Patrick,

    I am not referring to the physical aspect of accumulating more wealth but to maintain a healthy lifestyle!

    Where we used to indugle in beer drinking and sporting a paunch, how do we go about maintaining some discipline and trimming our pot belly.

    How do one kick the habit of smoking knowing that it really bad for our health. Have any one realise the folly of such habits and find a way to get out of it! Of course there are many other health hazards out there beside these two that are mentioned here.

    Share with us how you overcome them. What motivate you to do that?

  16. Suggest also to read :

    Avoid Retirement and Stay Alive
    Authors: David Bogan and Keith Davies

    Avoid Retirement and Stay Alive is about conflict resolution on a much broader scale. It is about the conflicts attached to ageing.

    Most people are used to being bombarded by financial advisers keen to sell them retirement saving plans. They are also accustomed to being the targets of age-related scare-mongering. Baby Boomers (generally considered to be those born between 1946-1964) are the most-researched generation ever and have pushed back the boundaries during every decade of their lives. Many are now entering their 50s and early 60s. Their conflicts are increasing – they are perceived as upcoming dependent ‘burdens’ on the State, yet those who want to stay in the labour market are often subject to enforced retirement because they have reached a significant birthday. They are encouraged to be self-sufficient, yet chided for occupying economic space needed by younger workers. Employers complain about a skills shortage but expect those with the requisite experience and knowledge – many of whom are still fit and able to carry on – to down tools and head for their porches. Despite a re-evaluation by some corporations regarding the benefits of engaging or retaining seniors, Baby Boomers can be forgiven for feeling they cannot win.

    This book is for anyone over thirty and even those who are themselves seniors, or moving in that direction, should find the authors give them the inspiration and confidence to redirect their lives at any stage. As the book reminds us – ‘think of your hair as silver, not grey’.

    Happy reading

    Patrick Yeo

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