Many people consider retirement a way of indulging in life and being open and receptive to participate in it. There is a huge emphasis in places such as America and Europe on utilizing the role of retirees in society and benefiting from their expertise in life.
For instance, Deb Hanneman is an American activist and president and founder of Retire on Purpose. It is a coaching and training practice specializing in helping mid-life career changers and retirees find their new purpose in life through a new career, business or volunteer work.
Hanneman believes that retirement in reality is liberation from job responsibilities and commitments and having the chance to achieve one’s goals in life.
On the other hand, many of us don’t realize the importance of this culture. The common understanding of retirement is that it is the end of a phase of giving and accomplishments in a person’s life. Once he becomes a retiree, his fears of isolation from society and feeling a lack of productivity and sufficiency surface. And people don’t realize that retirement is not about financial security only. Retirees don’t need just money.
The Pension Agency is the biggest authority responsible for retirees’ affairs in the Kingdom. It serves around one million beneficiaries.
Since it was established in 1958, the amount of money spent up to on retirees is SR190,000 million, according to the agency’s sources.
Regardless of the system’s details and the mechanism of spending money on individuals, practically we can’t just consider money to be the main priority and problem retirees have. Money should be taken into account as well as social activities.
There are very few initiatives to utilize the role of retirees socially through conferences and gatherings. But these attempts could be developed into giving them the chance to contribute effectively in society with their own experiences. The community must change its negative views about this crucial phase in a person’s life.
