Greetings everyone! I would like to bring attention to a key topic that has been making rounds in South Korea for a few years now, and that is the idea of Work vs. People, along with what I shall describe as Social Death.
Work vs. People
It is a vital point in many lectures and organizations, namely the question of whether the stress you receive at the workplace is specifically due to Work or People? It is of incredible importance to seperate the notions and causes of our troubles in our circumstances. There once was a lecturer who asked his listeners (he was giving a seminar to a corporation) to raise their hands if they found work to be stressful. Just about everybody raised their hands. Then, he asked them to raise their hands if they found the people they work with, i.e., colleagues, supervisors, owners, etc., stressful. Nearly 80% raised their hands. Next, he asked them to raise their hands if they solely found the work itself to be stressful. Only around 20% raised their hands. So, 100% are not fond of their job, 80% despise the coworkers specifically, while 20% hate the work itself.
It is now a good time to mention that most people working will not continue to work if they had affluence. For example, most of the teachers, professors, civil servants, day-laborers, etc., will probably quit if they won the powerball lottery. Those that genuinely like the Work may go on to establish an enterprise of their choosing. A professor may start his own school, a businessman may form his own company, etc. Becoming a Boss instead of a Worker. That alone brings hefty challenges, but if they sincerely love their careers, (called 천직天職 in Korean, which translates roughly to Heaven-sent Duty/Work/Position) they may stick to it. It is the same principle as to why individuals like Warren Buffet or George Soros continue to invest. They love it. Wouldn't you love something too if you were the undisputable monarch of it? To give all that up is not retirement, but death, which I shall be discussing later.
I brought forth this agenda for I am curious if this is a seriously considered topic where you live. It is a prime component of many discussions here in South Korea. I will be paraphrasing a paragraph of my own post in my subreddit r/CivilDiscontent to better drive the point of money and its affects on our daily existence home.
This topic was inspired partially by an online post I read a few years ago. The post itself was an internet user asking people what poor people thought about the economics policies of the government as well as the current trend and situation of the financial world and their outcomes. The poster was curious as to what the geniune opinion of the poor were; since these policies mandated by our tax-payer money were being spent, might as well know the outcome. The top response to this post was just, “We have no food.”
Social Death
Another oft-discoursed upon dilemmna is the reality of Social Death. In the eyes of society, you are dead after retirement. It has become such an issue that numerous documentaries have been made on it. The subsequent depression the elderly feel after retirement, leading them to dive into the workforce scene once more. The loneliness that causes them to get scammed by blasphemous youths who approach them with false kindness saying things like “Grandmother” or “Grandfather” comforting their souls for the act of plundering their fortunes.
These stories and lessons are now routinely told to would-be retirees by government mandate to warn them of these phenomena. They beseech them not to plunge into entrepreneurship simply because they think they know how the industry works. They emphasize that such knowledge is usually useless and mundane. If you were not a genuine top-of-the-line expert leading the field, and was merely one of the somebody-and-everybody types, you should be careful of your ventures. Indeed, it is frequently mentioned that the expertise you assume you possess is largely irrelevant out there.
Another imperative effect of retirement is that the “friends and associates and subordinates” you thought were close and even respectful no longer contact you. Just before the day of retirement, they all promise to keep in touch, but when the fateful day arrives, they are strangers to you.
Corporations also sometimes force you to retire of your “own conviction” so that the may avoid paying pension. Furthermore, it is a truism that they make you clear out your desk on a weekend, so that the one to take your place can start right away the following week.
I would also like to know more about the retirement culture in your country, and how similar it is worldwide. Thank you everyone for your time!