ER Eddie
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2013
- Messages
- 1,794
I’m a single man, 62. I’ve been retired 5 years now. I’ve noticed several unique challenges that face the retired bachelor. I’ve also noticed that retirement holds a special appeal to single men, at least those who are single by choice.
The special appeal of retirement for the single man lies in the freedom it represents. I suspect that men who are single by choice also place freedom and autonomy high on their list of core values, and so the freedom of retirement calls to them strongly.
As far as the unique challenges, here they are in a nutshell:
To clarify, by “unique challenges,” I don’t mean that men who are married or in long-term relationships do not face them. I mean that these challenges are more evident, more pronounced, for the single man. For example, he does not have the traditional sources of meaning and purpose to lean on, and so he must find them for himself. I explain more in the full article.
I should also mention that although I’m a man and speaking from that perspective, these challenges probably apply just as well to single, retired women.
I wrote an article that goes into more depth about this, if you’d like to read more. I will link it below. [To head off misunderstanding – I’m not trying to make a buck here. The blog is not monetized and actually costs me money to run. I’m just trying to stir thought and discussion.]
The special appeal of retirement for the single man lies in the freedom it represents. I suspect that men who are single by choice also place freedom and autonomy high on their list of core values, and so the freedom of retirement calls to them strongly.
As far as the unique challenges, here they are in a nutshell:
- Filling all the abundant free time well
- Finding meaning and purpose
- Social connection
- Aging alone
To clarify, by “unique challenges,” I don’t mean that men who are married or in long-term relationships do not face them. I mean that these challenges are more evident, more pronounced, for the single man. For example, he does not have the traditional sources of meaning and purpose to lean on, and so he must find them for himself. I explain more in the full article.
I should also mention that although I’m a man and speaking from that perspective, these challenges probably apply just as well to single, retired women.
I wrote an article that goes into more depth about this, if you’d like to read more. I will link it below. [To head off misunderstanding – I’m not trying to make a buck here. The blog is not monetized and actually costs me money to run. I’m just trying to stir thought and discussion.]