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+--- Thread: OLD AND UNFIT FOR TODAY's SOCIETY (/thread-old-and-unfit-for-today-s-society)
OLD AND UNFIT FOR TODAY's SOCIETY - javed - 03-30-2009
The debate started when respectable senior citizen S.U, Khan quoting that he wants his tea prepared on a cooking range while his children prepare and give him tea prepared on an electric kettle questions is he in his retirement unfit for today's society. A lot of people commented, all from same retired class and each one commented according to his own situation. Almost all in a line say the retired life is a new life and one should "enjoy" this new life.
I was then working abroad. With me was working a British as an Adviser to the Government there. My next Pakistani colleague got retired. This British used to sit next room to our's. He brought a "well wishes card on retirement" and with warmly shaking hand gave it to my colleague y congratulating him on retirement and hoped our retiring colleague would enjoy this "new life". My colleague thanked him. I could see the face of my colleague. As soon as the British left the room my colleague used a word not suitable for writing here adding "bloody does not know what was coming next in unemployment".
The Federal Ombudsman in his decision wrote that any division in new pensioner or old pensioner is against principles of natural justice. Against this a senior bureaucrat advised the Government to go into appeal and accordingly for this purpose he prepared the Summary. When he was preparing that summary doing injustice to retired citizens in 1990-91 at that time according to the then press articles this bureaucrat was fetching Rs. 125,000 per month rent of his one villa in Islamabad having rented to a German firm. If Rs. 125,000 a month was income from one house then one can image what would had been his total income (salary, profits from savings, any other property). For such a person disparity between new or old pensioners had nothing to do because even after his own retirement he was still to have same level of income as serving and this difference of new or old was not to affect him..
Retirement for majority of us is a sort of death news if not simply unemployment. Not every one gathers so much enable to financial live in the retirement age. Not everyone's sons live in UK or London, nor every one had given on rent two bungalows on reaching retirement age. Majority in today's life despite working hard can not make even a small house for old age. I despite having lived abroad and now retired without any pension or any other benefits still has no house of my own. For majority of us retirement means half death.
I had a friend a retired colonel. He was well settled having a very good agricultural income after retirement. Once over a cup of tea he was saying the retired life is misery for people of this sub continent region. He stated when one gets retired and comes home permanently he is first two three days greeted. After two three days when the retiree sees that there was no one in the bathroom while the light was still ne he switches it off. When next he sees no body in the room but the fan running with full speed he objects to it and switches it off. He had 40 years spent out of the city or out of home on duty.. Hence he was never aware of how many fans during whole day in empty rooms keep running in his absence. When he starts switching off such fans and gives lecture then the family members start thinking Baba should had better remained out on duty. Within a month the retired Baba becomes an alien.
Retired life is a blessing to Europeans whose life style is totally different to us or to people like the above bureaucrats I quoted. The retired life suits to those who have time to think of tea on a cooker or an electric kettle. Who on retirement had come to only one morning tea not prepared on a kerosene oil stove or three trenches can not "enjoy" retired life but of course it is inevitable.