OT: Today I Turn 33...!

[Christopher Browne]

On Thu, Aug 13, 2009 at 1:53 PM, CLIFFORD
ILKAY<clifford_ilkay-biY6FKoJMRdBDgjK7y7TUQ at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> If you believe you're over the hill no matter what your age, you're
> right. If you believe that you are at your best right now, you're right
> again. Either way, you'll be right so pick whatever suits you. :)

At about the time I finished grad school, there were two retirements...
- My dad retired from the Federal civil service
- A friend of the family retired from City of Ottawa at similar time
(a bit earlier I think)

Dad retired "somewhat tragically early" - he was pressed out by
politicking.  (At the time, it was mighty politically correct to push
out the "old white guys" that had always been running things...  Such
matters are always more complex than they appear...)

He actually got considerably *busier* after retirement than he was
before.  He definitely did not behave in "over the hill" fashion :-).
He's still "going strong" 15 years later, and has apparently
considerably beaten the averages in terms of survival rate after
retirement.

The other guy had been in "middle management" in the city bureaucracy,
and had had very little else that he was really involved with.  He
survived only about six months after retirement.  That is, six months
later, he was deceased.  I'm not sure how his wife is doing now; she
may be deceased now, but she definitely *considerably* outlived him.

The effect I'm pointing out is that there's indication that "if you
think you're done, then you're likely to be *really* done..."

Historically, I've seen two professions where members seem to have
*spectacular* sorts of survival-to-old-age rates that seem to
correspond to perceived-continuation-of-usefulness:

a) Professors...   It is not uncommon for them to retain offices @
university even after retirement, as research and writing papers have
no notable "expiry date"...

b) Preachers...  Being elderly means having more tales to remember and share...
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