Who am I if I don’t work for pay?

WHO AM I ?

Another year has gone. Time seems to slip away faster at my age. I have been retired for twenty years. In twenty more years, I will have lived in retirement as long as I worked. We live longer nowadays. But according to customary men’s definition, I do nothing hence I’m nobody. Men have always identified themselves with what they do for pay. So you don’t do anything for pay, you are nobody. As we live longer more years in retirement doing a lot but without pay, we will have to find a different way to identify ourselves. Definitely I am not “nobody.”

Of course, I am speaking as a male. Women seem to do better job of coping with the question of self-identity. I think it’s because they have always been engaged in things that are life-giving and caring without being paid, like birthing and feeding. Women know who they are without being paid. Here we must know the difference between a job and a vocation. We live for vocation. It’s like being an artist, who knows who he/she is without a job that pays. I go even further. I can say simply “I am Tadashi Mitsui, period.” Can’t I?

There are also a couple of things that concern me as a large number of boomers retire and live more years after.

First, Canada needs more people who pay into pension plans and health care systems to keep them going. There aren’t that many million-billionaires who can live only on investment. So most of us depend on people who are working and contributing to pension funds and health care systems. But as a society grows more affluent, birth rate usually declines. The result is less number of people who pay for our pension and health care. We need more people, immigrants and refugees, to come to Canada. Xenophobia, fear of others, is suicidal for the nation.

Secondly, we should forget the idea that the goal of medicine is just to prevent death. Of course it must prevent pain and suffering and untimely death. But we must also accept the notion that death is a part of life. I have not quite worked it out yet, but we must rethink the way we treat death as an ultimate curse. We must rather ask, “ Is this life what I want?” more often.

A Happy New Year!

10 thoughts on “Who am I if I don’t work for pay?

  1. Hello there, just became alert to your blog through Google, and found that it is rewally informative.
    I’m going to watch out forr brussels. I will appreciate if you continue this in future.
    Lots oof people will be benefited from your writing.
    Cheers!

  2. Hi there, I discovered your site byy means of Google while looking
    for a comparable topic, your website came up, it
    seems to be great. I’ve bookmarkd it in my google bookmarks.

    Heolo there, just became aware of your blog through Google, and located that it is
    truly informative. I am gonna watch out for brussels.
    I will be grateful when you proceed this in future. Many peoople can be benefited
    out off your writing. Cheers!

  3. Hi, Neat post. There is a problem together wioth your site in internet explorer, might
    check this? IE still is the marketplace chief and a big component
    of people will omit your magnificent writing because of
    thi problem.

  4. Just want to say your article is as astonishing. The
    clarity foor your publish is simply nice and
    i ccan assume you are an expert in this subject. Well together
    with your permission let me to grab your
    RSS feed to keep up to date wikth drawing close post.
    Thank you a million and please continue the gratifying work.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *