Hope and Security
Instead of Despair and Seclusion
Eric Ericsson is the psychologist who strongly believes that all human"s growing stages are intertwined. He thinks that the age of retirement begins at 60, but according to laws of the country, a50-year old individual is legally retired. The range varies between 35 and 60, and 48 years old retirement falls within the average retirement age. This psychologist looks at it as productivity age against uselessness, If suitable conditions are created, an oldie will be a good innovator or better to say initiator; otherwise, he would suffer from emptiness and vanity.
If an individual is taken for his/ her ability and talent regardless of age, there may be a lot of grounds for advancement; the case is that of balance, that is he/she will not struggle if retired. Ericsson is of the opinion that the cultural aspect of this age is the acceptance of social responsibility. However, this is not the common practice; there are a lot of obstacles on the way of the retired when embarking on a new job requiring group work.
He/she is a grown member who can be useful. According to this psychologist"s theory, the simplest productivity of this age is transferring and enhancement of culture as well as the education of children and attention to their progress during life. Productivity increases as the thought processes get complicated day by day and this is the time when retirement steps in. Teachers cannot be likened to workers who are being irked because of too much heavy tiresome work. His/ her body may become enfeebled while his/ her mind is developed and should be made use of much more than before, So, it is not advised to force teachers to retire soon; in fact they should be given opportunities to employ all their capabilities which have been developed during all the years of experience and hard work.
The famous person such as Picasso and Russell held their mind active until 90 years of age. Ali Akbar Dehkhoda (Iranian Lexicographer) and Kama1-u1-Molk (Iranian painter) had wonderful and miraculously dominating power at their 70s. Today, research has found its suitable ways into our society; therefore we have many retired people work in research centers.
It is an inevitable fact that the majority of the retired are physically weak and cannot be as useful in executive jobs as the young can; however this does not signify that they cannot work any longer; in fact they are not that much weak to quit daily activities; if this way of looking at the retired is not practiced in our society, then we should not be surprised when we see a retired person resorting to the peaceful corner of his/her residence seeking peace of mind far away from all troubles with which he/she is confronted outside. It is noteworthy to reiterate the fact that at this age their power of mind has reached the utmost due to myriad of invaluable experience they have gone through.
Retiring age is celebrated with special ceremony by many cultures. Friends and counterparts congratulate the retired on the advent of this new period in lifetime.
Ashley has expressed retirement as something quite exceptional considering it, in fact, as a process, event or a role. As a process, it is the preparation and passage form one role to another; in other words, passage from the role of a clerk who follows the certain manner to a retiree who has specific individual manner.
With due attention to the abovementioned definition and in accordance with the present situation, the retired do not have official roles and they do not assume any responsibility even social and routine life.
Many of them believe that they have been overlooked by the society.
In fact, man must have a part to play until he/she breathe the last breath. A retiree who has gone through his/her organic role for about 30 years, at a night he/she may be taken by illness and grief because of this great event in his/her life.
But the old age or retiring age is, in fact, the age of wisdom to which experience is tied.
Sa" di, the famous Iranian poet, has a saying with the following message,
""A wise and ingenious man should have two lives at this age: one to gain experience and one to make use of experience.""
There is another saying narrated differently in different languages with which every body is familiar, "there is many a good tune played on an old fiddle"". The following sayings also underscore this insightful statement.
""Mankind owes its moral and social advances to the elderly. In old ages the human will be wiser and transfer his experience to new off springs. A man is stagnant without old age."" Tolstoy said.
""Wisdom is not learnable; it is created directly. We can recognize it, but cannot measure it exactly. The prudence is not learned. You earn it only after growing and in the passage of time."" Socrates said.
In brief, wisdom and intelligence are the gifts of human"s longevity. If we know how to act and save our life"s candle brightly until last days of our life, we will earn three values:
1- Wisdom and intelligent that are the result of longevity.
2- Useful experience which makes life attractive.
3- Longevity
The psychologists who research on creativity of human beings think that artists and writers have their particular view points which make them different from ordinary man. They also have specific talents to get the meaning across which improves as they get older.
We had better speak with the elderly tenderly asking them for their desired preferences in the best way possible. The older we get, the more sensitive we become so it seems right to talk with them as friendly as possible.
The old age years are not the time of seclusion and sequestered life. Some people associate retirement with the state of being unemployed and abandoned, because they think that they have gone past their years of utility. Whereas, the time of retirement can be the period when you can make the most of your experience and wisdom on the one hand and be a leading figure in the lives of the youth on the other hand. Did the great scholars of the world not present their experience of their lives and knowledge to mankind at the old age years of their life?
1- Voltaire, the French scientist and philosopher, wrote the ""Culture of philosophy"" at 1764 when he was 70 years of age.
2- Victor Hugo, wrote his famous book ""The last day of a condemned"" at 83 years of age and continued writing till he was alive.
3- Edison discovered the effect of exploitation of electricity on the engines which is the source of the movement of the engines, at the age of 70.
4- Michelangelo presented his famous painting ""Rime"" at 89 years of age and was creating paintings at St. Pierre cathedral until the end of his life.
5- Picasso was painting his famous paintings, up to the age of 92.
6- Sa"di, the famous Iranian poet, lived for 82 years and was advising until the last days of his life.
7- 71 years- old Ferdowsi, another renowned Iranian poet, finished his famous book ""Shahnameh"" during last days of his life.
8- Bertrand Russell, the famous philosopher, worked in ""International Committee for Peace"" until 94 years of age.
9- George Bernard Shaw wrote his play ""Advising Stories"" at 93 years of age.
10- Albert Shuster was managing a hospital in Africa at 89 years of age.
11- William Somerset Maugham wrote ""viewpoins"" at 80 years of age.
12- Leo Tolstoy wrote ""I cannot be silence"" at 83 years old of age.
Retranslated by M.Ahmadi Shirazi
