Leisure or Just LAZY?

[Music Lover]

I retired at 53 because I didn't want to work anymore...not because I was lazy. They're not the same thing.

 

[ejman]

I think the Italians about have it right with a an enlightened statement I first heard when visiting Rome long ago the much admired "dolce farniente" The sweetness of doing nothing.

 

[Donzo]

I retired 11 years ago at 49. I got all the "what do you do all day", "you must be bored" and even a "why should you get to retire".

Just wait a few years or a decade and all the questions cease

Must add the last 11 years have been a great ride. My only complaint is how fast time is sliding by. AND knowing what I know now I could have retired at 45

 

[Which Roger]

Society's perceptions are built on the false premise that one isn't working unless that work is for pay and on someone else's terms. I've worked plenty hard since I ERd, and have accomplished a lot, and haven't earned a single penny.

 

[brucethebroker]

DW had the best response to questions of "what do you do for a living?".

She said, "Tell them you are a private money manager!"

Very, very true....

 

[iloveyoga]

DW had the best response to questions of "what do you do for a living?".

She said, "Tell them you are a private money manager!"

Very, very true....

+ Very true and I help my friends and family with financial stuff for free.

 

[Badger]

...why would I cling to a job I don't need to make more money that I don't need? Why wouldn't I step aside and let someone else have the job and the money it generates, maybe someone younger who's trying to provide for his or her family?

So why not "generous"?

+1
I enjoyed what I did for a living and worked hard at it out of love for my chosen career path, lifestyle, and the joy of seeing the success of my students. Short pay and long hours meant I had to live a frugal life style until medical problems cut my ability to continue.

I don't believe any of my friends would be so unkind as to begrudge me some relaxation time to pursue other interests. The opinion of anyone else doesn't matter. I don't care. If that is how they see it then they can pound sand.

Cheers!

 

[Chuckanut]

I have no problem with working but I have a huge problem with high levels of stress brought on by work.

Things like management needing to cover their behinds, the "never enough time to do it right, but always enough time to do it again" way of thinking, and the loss of control of one's time generate huge amounts of stress.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Why wouldn't I step aside and let someone else have the job and the money it generates, maybe someone younger who's trying to provide for his or her family?

So why not "generous"?

Definitely! I can't count how many folks I knew in the AF that really did NOTHING. They were lazy and really good for nothing...scammers of the highest degree. I would often point out that not only were they making othersw*rk harder, they were also taking a spot that someone else could be in...and STILL contribute. There were many reasons why I decided to leave the AF, but one of the biggest reason was just to "get out of the way". There were lots of good folks that would have LOVED to have my j*b and to be honest, they would be much more invested in it that than I was towards the end. Yes, most folks approaching the end of their military days will go "ROAD" (retired on active duty), but there is no reason to do it for YEARS!

I also like the term, "dolce far niente". Too bad it won't fit on a vanity plate!

 

[Cassius King]

One can be lazy while still being employed. Why does the term only relate to being retired in this instance?!

 

[FIREd]

Lazy or leisure is a question of perspective. I had a relative who really thought that I was being lazy when I retired. Then she retired and has never called me lazy again.

I keep my house clean, my appearance neat, my books balanced, and my obligations fulfilled. I am not lazy. But I have a leisurely life.

 

[BigMoneyJim]

he said "Most people who I know who retired were dead within 5 years." He implied that when you retire, you start a slow decline to death and he does not want to do that.

I've seen this type of comment many times before. I'm convinced that any truth to it is because people keep working until it's physically too much of a burden for them to continue.

In other words, their retirement didn't start their death; they worked themselves to the brink of death. No, thank you!

 

[ncbill]

I have no problem with working but I have a huge problem with high levels of stress brought on by work.

Things like management needing to cover their behinds, the "never enough time to do it right, but always enough time to do it again" way of thinking, and the loss of control of one's time generate huge amounts of stress.

One of my favorite reads on work, paraphrased from another website a long time ago:

"As an employer, I would prefer you to have your wage income and your 'investments' tied up in extravagant cars and housing instead of in a bank account.

If everyone had six months of income saved, they might start getting a bit uppity and expecting things like 'personal time,' 'respect as a person,' and pay raises to keep up with inflation."

 

[W2R]

Like many here, I worked very hard for long hours for almost my whole life before retiring. The way I look at it is, that I have already worked more in my first 61 years (before retiring) than many people do in a lifetime.

So anyway, people who do not feel this way can refuse to retire, or maybe just hurry off to their volunteer jobs and continue consulting on into retirement if they feel that doing otherwise is lazy. But me? No way. It is time for me to relax and enjoy each moment of my remaining life, and I really do not care an iota what anybody thinks about that.

In other words, I feel I have earned a lifetime "Lazy Pass" that allows me to do nothing if I want to, without experiencing any crushing guilt descending upon me.

 

[Scuba]

Like many here, I worked very hard for long hours for almost my whole life before retiring. The way I look at it is, that I have already worked more in my first 61 years (before retiring) than many people do in a lifetime.



So anyway, people who do not feel this way can refuse to retire, or maybe just hurry off to their volunteer jobs and continue consulting on into retirement if they feel that doing otherwise is lazy. But me? No way. It is time for me to relax and enjoy each moment of my remaining life, and I really do not care an iota what anybody thinks about that.



In other words, I feel I have earned a lifetime "Lazy Pass" that allows me to do nothing if I want to, without experiencing any crushing guilt descending upon me.

Well said, W2R!

 

[dixonge]

I think that a major aspect of the 'leisure' I now enjoy, that I have been aiming for for these many years, is simply not having to be in a specific place at a specific time with lots of other people expecting me and/or depending on my presence. And time clocks. The pressure to conform to these norms has always produced a natural desire to find loopholes or workarounds. The more seemingly unreasonable or restrictive the requirement, the more I have resisted. This goes back to my childhood and schooling.

If you call that 'lazy' then fine, call it what you want. It won't affect me one way or the other.

 

[ER Eddie]

The US has a fairly strong version of the Protestant work ethic in its bloodstream. Total retirement prior to about age 60 will be met with a predictable, conditioned judgement. We're still a fairly Puritan nation in many ways. Those are our roots. You prove your worth to God by the sweat of your brow. Sloth is one of the seven deadly sins.

Although I love the idea of freedom, I do not love the idea of doing nothing for any length of time. For instance, I find the traditional pictures of retirement life boring and uninspiring -- you know, lying in a hammock with a drink, sitting on a bench looking at the ocean, or playing golf. If that's all I have to look forward to, just shoot me.

I like Aristotle's version of leisure better. To him, leisure was superior to work because it unchained you from petty concerns and set your mind free to think big thoughts, talk with others about important issues, and in general lead an active, engaged life. That's what retirement (or semi-retirement) is to me.

That's not "lazy" at all. In a way, remaining at work is the "lazier" choice. Staying at work (when you don't need to, and you don't find it fulfilling/stimulating) requires less independence, less courage, less risk, and less imagination that cutting the cord.

People still associate "retirement" with not doing anything worthwhile or productive (well, maybe take care of the grandkids or do a little volunteer work, bless your heart). I think that stereotype is changing, but a lot of people still have that idea about retirement. Maybe it's because that's all they can imagine.