:MY DaY MY WaY:

Monday, June 18, 2007 On Saturday, I signed myself off to the civil service for 4 years, so that will be my route of advancement (horizontal) till I hit the big three. It did not take a lot of thought; rather it was what I would rather do, than what I would rather not. I have bitched about the service no doubt, yet I am an employee. To be fair, I do not see myself as an over-achiever type, just to do something to keep myself entertained and for others, that they get entertained as well. Subconsciously, this is a mark of a mere do-gooder, although I admit that I deliberately avoid some metal tins at times. ~ ~ When we were young, people always asked, "what is your ambition" or to be simpler, "what will you want to be, when you grow up". Growing up is a very subjective term, and some people blissfully, or thankfully (depending on your encounters) never do. For me, I never thought about it, but rather decided what I will like to learn and find out along the path to this elusive stage, if it happened to me at all. My brother might be a suitable testament. That is probably why at age 21 (who invented this magical number for the transition into adulthood anyway, we must therefore contend it is a product of the state), I picked up the course and proceeded to do a general degree. Today, I still do two of the most general stuff in pedagogy, english and social studies (national education). Perhaps that is why I cannot do very specific disciplines, and work scopes which will have me kissing the computers are strictly out, for the sake of my good health and sanity. ~ ~ Recently, I was conversing with a friend who is an achiever of sorts, we compared our working schedules. I start at 730 and finish around 3-4 on weekdays and give/take half a saturday at times to do overtime. My friend does work from the same time till 10 at night, and consistently exhausts his weekends. Besides the slight begrudging note that we ought to meet up more often (an obvious hint he should abandon his steady sometimes for us), we shared our views on life. Perhaps we should be retirees already, but it is good sometimes to see what we want in life, and to take steps to realise that. My friend is an especially hard worker, and I am not so much. It is easier to work for people, rather than objects; in the same holistic way, that people should live for the intangibles in life. He wants to retire by 40 plus, whereas I am not all confident of retiring post 55. ~ ~ I feel like having a caveat, so here goes. ~ [Start of rambling] ~ First, I posit the government's push to increase retirement age is a step in reducing demand on healthcare subsidies and to address the lack of money in maintaining a manageable lifestyle post-work. Therefore the logic ensues if I am not working at 60, it is my fault, and not the country's. If I become a destitute, that is still my fault, and this leads on nicely to my next point. ~ Second, the concept of working till death is alien in societies like ours, since we still rely on future returns, ie. descendents to sustain our livelihood. As investments (both successful and failed ones) will tell us, there are no guarantees on any returns, what more such an obscure concept as children and kin. The relationship between descendents and sustained livelihood, is best illustrated as an economic one, conveniently called the diminishing marginal rates on returns. So the longer I live, the more of an economic burden I become to myself (since I am sufficiently liable for my own existence). What is more problematic, is that through my own existence, I become a liability to my descendents, by virtue of kinship. No wonder the rate of elder suicides are murky, and these figures are seldom released over here, since they must be largely due to medical and financial inadequacies. The spurious link is deliberately inferential, although it suffices that we all do know why these issues occur at all. ~ Third, it is precisely the raising of age limits that irks me personally, since we are viewed as economic machinations, incapable of taking a break. Driving up retirement ages is merely an attempt to self-medicate, to deliver a prognosis that counts on economic wellbeing for the country first, and as a trickle-down effect, become enabling for its residents. Whether this trickle-down effect takes place at all, will take decades to realise, and ultimately it is an instance of pragmatic policy-making. I cannot suggest an alternative, since I am merely into rambling, but a simple point is that most of us are already making allowances for working into our "golden" years. It is merely turning an option into a legislation. So if that option already exists, the crux of the problem should be, "why are people not taking a break for good after working for so long", rather than "why are there less people to contribute to the economic pie, even though replacement and FT policies are presently implemented". I suspect the motive is noble, in that case, we become assets rather than liabilities, so our descendents and the social assistance personnel will not talk behind our backs. ~ Conclusion: If I am an asset, I dehumanize myself. If I am a liability, I am dehumanized. I cannot win, expecially if work and life are synonymous. ~ [End of rambling] ~ It must be puzzling that for all the medical advances in extending life expectancy, we have not found a sustainable model for living graciously into our wee years. My friend wants to retire comfortably and enjoy more of his elder life, but I say to him, "would you enjoy yourself more, if you were subject to a punishing schedule now, and would I recognise you then?" The implication is that I live and look a little better now, but will be so much poorer for it in the future, besides the minor inconvenience that I probably can only afford one or (pushing it) two major operations, before I become the debt-ridden loser the government probably will inflict euthanasia on, if it could. ~ ~ We decided to concede that each idealogy has its merits, but I prefer to live in the "now". Presently, I am still enjoying my break, and will be heading to NIE for some registration and briefing matters, early work-week. On Friday, my official work-week will begin, with adminsitrative and logistical matters for the coming semester. So it will get busier, but I still hope that I will be able to sustain my work-life balance (one propaganda that I accept, since no work= no money) and live a good existance. weijie froze in time on 18.6.07

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