Scott Adams (Dilbert): "Retired and Useful"

[Nords]

Scott Adams doesn't appear to understand retirement (nor should he need to!) but he still has some interesting ideas on how to enjoy a fulfilling one.

Scott Adams Blog: Retired and Useful 10/09/2008

People who know me well don't ask when I plan to retire. I'm sure I will stop drawing comics at some point, but I can't imagine a life where I'm not adding something back to the system. I don't think I'm that different from most people.
...
For example, imagine the government coming up with some sort of carbon trading-like plan for healthcare. Under this plan, anyone who uses less than the average amount of healthcare for his or her age, during a given year, wins some extra government funding for their local school system, and that amount would be tracked and publicly reported. You'd feel like a stud to be on the top of the healthy seniors list.
The idea is that retirees would be incented to exercise and eat right, thus cutting their average medical bills. Old people are the biggest users of medical care, so the impact could be huge. And since any savings would not go directly to the retirees, they wouldn't be incented to skimp on medical visits just to make a few bucks for themselves.

This is an excellent opportunity for ERs to point out to Scott that retirees still contribute to society and the greater good. Of course ERs pointing that out could also be mocked by Dogbert in the next Dilbert Newsletter...

[deserat]

Is incented a word? I thought the word was incentivized.......I just got done watching a TV show where they said to live a long life you shouldn't retire....their definition of retire was what they saw in the old folks homes.....McLaughlin did say that the definition of retiring as leaving one's main occupation for economical support was not what they meant...one should have an avocation that started in their 30'-40's. I'm glad he brought out that distinction. Scott Adams has an avocation of drawing comics - he retired from his job a Pacific Bell to go pursue his avocation......

[audreyh1]

I think it's tough for someone immersed in the American culture to understand that an avocation is just something you really enjoy doing, and that you'd spend lots of time doing it even if you weren't paid for it. You do it for the enjoyment, not for the money.

This is just a bit of a pet peeve for me, because we are often "criticized" for not selling our photographs - as if one is somehow obligated to turn any talent into a commercial enterprise, or that something created somehow doesn't "count" unless it is paid for.

It's just a very strong cultural bias, so strong that I think people like Scott Adams who have been getting paid for their talent for a long time, don't even think about why they are "working".

Audrey

[Nords]

Originally Posted by audreyh1

I think it's tough for someone immersed in the American culture to understand that an avocation is just something you really enjoy doing, and that you'd spend lots of time doing it even if you weren't paid for it. You do it for the enjoyment, not for the money.
This is just a bit of a pet peeve for me, because we are often "criticized" for not selling our photographs - as if one is somehow obligated to turn any talent into a commercial enterprise, or that something created somehow doesn't "count" unless it is paid for.

I mentioned to a (working) neighbor the other day that a change in my routine was going to save me a lot of time. He responded "Why would you care about saving time? You're retired!"

Originally Posted by audreyh1

It's just a very strong cultural bias, so strong that I think people like Scott Adams who have been getting paid for their talent for a long time, don't even think about why they are "working".

After a couple years of reading Scott Adams, I believe that he has a tremendous lack of security & confidence. He's always talking about Dilbert's rocky 10-year start and he (Adams, not Dilbert) seems to believe that he's getting away with a giant fraud that's going to implode on him at any minute.

Besides I think he's hardwired for his avocation and lacks an "off" button. It'd be interesting to put him together at a bar with Warren Buffett for an afternoon...

[audreyh1]

Hey - I understand about avocations not having an "off" button. Nothing wrong with that IMO. For people with that kind of passion - that's a big part of what makes life worth living for them.

My husband - an avid insect photographer - is compelled to go out every chance he gets to chase dragonflies and butterflies for photography, and gripes any day that he doesn't get to do it (and gripes if he doesn't get the shot he hoped, etc.).

I'm amazed at his tenacity and motivation and how he just doesn't get tired of it, but I think it's great! I make sure that in our travels we spend plenty of time at places with good "bug" potential.

Audrey

P.S. Yes, more cultural biases. I can see how some working folks don't comprehend that time is valuable to a retiree. I suppose they think that either we spend all our time goofing off, or that somehow if one is retired, our time is "worthless" because we aren't paid for it.

But many of us retired precisely because our time was so valuable we wanted it all to ourselves. I too have taken many actions after retirement to "streamline" my life so that I could maximize the time available for doing what I cared about most.

[CuppaJoe]

Originally Posted by audreyh1

...
My husband - an avid insect photographer - is compelled to go out every chance he gets to chase dragonflies and butterflies for photography...

I'm amazed at his tenacity and motivation and how he just doesn't get tired of it, but I think it's great! I make sure that in our travels we spend plenty of time at places with good "bug" potential....

I knew I was ready to retire when: This picture is from my last vacation from work. Must have taken 30 pictures before I heard someone say, "excuse us, we're trying not to disturb you." About 400 bicycles had already gone around me with 200 more to go. You needn't pay me for that kind of total absorption in the moment.

I dream of photographing a butterfly on my knee or foot. Entertainment at my house last night was watching "Fluffy" the cat following a tiny bug with her eyes and making odd noises.

[Khan]

Originally Posted by Nords

I mentioned to a (working) neighbor the other day that a change in my routine was going to save me a lot of time. He responded "Why would you care about saving time? You're retired!"


After a couple years of reading Scott Adams, I believe that he has a tremendous lack of security & confidence. He's always talking about Dilbert's rocky 10-year start and he (Adams, not Dilbert) seems to believe that he's getting away with a giant fraud that's going to implode on him at any minute.

Besides I think he's hardwired for his avocation and lacks an "off" button. It'd be interesting to put him together at a bar with Warren Buffett for an afternoon...

I can sympathize to a degree: I used to think that sometimes.

[audreyh1]

Yep - it's called "impostor syndrome".

Audrey

[harley]

Originally Posted by Nords

After a couple years of reading Scott Adams, I believe that he has a tremendous lack of security & confidence. He's always talking about Dilbert's rocky 10-year start and he (Adams, not Dilbert) seems to believe that he's getting away with a giant fraud that's going to implode on him at any minute.

He spoke at a conference I attended back when I was under-retired, and I ran into him at a bar/restaurant that evening. We talked for a while, and he seemed truly amazed to be paid (and so well, too) for drawing with a pencil. He then said the biggest joke was that since he was a successful pencil-drawer, now he got big bucks to come speak to people. He said the reason he was in tech in the first place was because he wasn't that good with people.

[Nords]

Originally Posted by audreyh1

My husband - an avid insect photographer - is compelled to go out every chance he gets to chase dragonflies and butterflies for photography, and gripes any day that he doesn't get to do it (and gripes if he doesn't get the shot he hoped, etc.).

Originally Posted by CuppaJoe

I dream of photographing a butterfly on my knee or foot.

It's weird that you guys should mention butterfly photography on the same morning that it made local headlines:
New butterfly is discovered in Waikiki lot - News - Starbulletin.com

Originally Posted by harley

... and he seemed truly amazed to be paid (and so well, too) for drawing with a pencil. He then said the biggest joke was that since he was a successful pencil-drawer, now he got big bucks to come speak to people. He said the reason he was in tech in the first place was because he wasn't that good with people.

Dave Barry has the same "getting-away-with-it" feeling, but there's a world of intellectual difference between their blogs...

[audreyh1]

Originally Posted by Nords

It's weird that you guys should mention butterfly photography on the same morning that it made local headlines:
New butterfly is discovered in Waikiki lot - News - Starbulletin.com

Funny that you should bring this up.

Nothing thrills my husband more than discovering a new county record species - i.e. finding and/or photographing a dragonfly or butterfly in a county where it has never before been reported. He has many! Just recently he photographed two county records for our "home" county, and he has been photographing dragonflies in this county for three years.

You get to post such discoveries on local butterfly or dragonfly forums (and the USGS and state-wide record keepers) and you get all sorts of kudos from your fellow enthusiasts as well as the scientific/professional community.

One of the advantages of our perpetual travel lifestyle, is that as we get to visit lots of new places and he photographs what he finds, and then sees if anything has not been reported. Now some counties have just been poorly documented/explored, so he gets to "discover" all sorts of goodies - even when neighboring counties already have records of the species.

Now, he'll likely never discover a new species - at least not in North American, that's virtually unheard of.

Audrey

[freebird5825]

every time i read one of his comics, i felt this strong urge to walk 2 cubicles down and say hello to Dilbert. and the "meetings" theme comics with Wally, Alice, and the Bossman were so dead on! Adams captured the techno-geek cube world culture so well it was downright scary.

[TargaDave]

Originally Posted by Nords

After a couple years of reading Scott Adams, I believe that he has a tremendous lack of security & confidence. He's always talking about Dilbert's rocky 10-year start and he (Adams, not Dilbert) seems to believe that he's getting away with a giant fraud that's going to implode on him at any minute

We all see others differently from ourselves, and god knows we all have our own phobias-faults. For some lack of self confidence, for others internet forum addictions that somehow partially substitute for live human interaction, and for others a desire to work till they drop.

My feeble view is that it's all good and part of the soupy mix of life. And hey, we wouldn't want this fine forum clogged with a too many different posters or viewpoints now would we

[Hobo]

Sometimes even avocations can be addictive. Before I retired I was a successful businessman and entrepreneur. My hobby was model railroading (you gotta do it to appreciate it!). After I retired I got really involved with going to conventions, etc. Finally, I started my own model train hobby store and was back in the business world again! The challenge to be successful - better than the other stores, plus just the excitement that comes with making money can be addictive and destructive. I was under more stress than when I was "working". My doctor suggested I take a 6-month vacation - with no structure. That's want I did. Flew to Singapore, and kept on traveling until I was so far away from civilization that I couldn't even find a restaurant or hotel. I stayed with the local villagers.

Suddenly I discovered a whole new outlook on life. I swam naked in the warm ocean, waters just like the fishermen. I got up with the sun, slept in the heat of the day, and went to bed early at night. It was kind of shock therapy, but I needed it just to slow down and de-stress.

I could not slow down in the US, so I retired in a quiet tourist town in Indonesia - and my visa will not allow me to work!

[bongo2]

Nords, you've amassed quite a collection of famous people speaking out against early retirement. I appreciate the balance, but I have to wonder: why?

[HFWR]

Originally Posted by bongo2

Nords, you've amassed quite a collection of famous people speaking out against early retirement. I appreciate the balance, but I have to wonder: why?

I've never listened before; why should I start now?

[Nords]

Originally Posted by HFWR

I've never listened before; why should I start now?

Maybe you're able to improve a discussion by tolerating dissenting opinions without feeling threatened by them. Or to let others choose their lives without feeling compelled to castigate them...

I find Adams & Bernstein very thought-provoking. Not thought-provoking enough to inspire me to commute return to a cubicle never-ending series of occupational dissatisfiers, but I'm happy to benefit from their avowed intentions of never retiring.

[Midpack]

Originally Posted by audreyh1

This is just a bit of a pet peeve for me, because we are often "criticized" for not selling our photographs - as if one is somehow obligated to turn any talent into a commercial enterprise, or that something created somehow doesn't "count" unless it is paid for.

Heh, there's the answer to our huge SS, Medicare and other deficit/unfunded liabilities issues!!! We don't have to increase the SS retirement age or cut benefits after all. Since getting paid for work isn't essential, mandatory service (part or full time Peace Corp, community service and a host of other functions) should be required to receive SS, Medicare etc. We won't have so many bored retirees and the more retirees in service to the government with no pay, the fewer paid government employees we'll need. Will naturally keep the taxes on fewer private sector workers in check. As for retiring from providing government service to pursue an avocation, doing nothing or whatever you like - you can do that when you have the $ holdings to finance your remaining years yourself without any assistance from the government or taxpayers. McCain and Obama devoted a televised discussion to service, I think we're on to something...