Working for the rest of your life may sound unappealing, but 100-year-olds around the globe say not retiring is what keeps them feeling youthful and fulfilled.
I think that a significant factor in the cross section of “need purpose” and “work = purpose” comes from a sort of brainwashing though. When you’re taught (intentionally or otherwise) that amount of money, marketable skills, monetization of hobbies, etc all directly correlate to your worth as a person, it’s absolutely surprising nobody that people who stop working (whether through retirement, disability, having children, etc) become depressed.
I totally agree with you, except for the part where you say that it isn’t dystopian. A utopian society would be beyond that frame of mind imo and retired people would feel free to explore hobbies and passions, feeling more fulfilled than they ever did selling their labor for survival. I don’t think these people want to go back to work; I think they want to feel useful. And they’ve only ever felt useful as workers. They can’t imagine any other productive use because they’ve never experienced it.
I think people feel useful in social contexts, people they see everyday, who depend on them, who have consistent interactions. And most people get that through work. Especially when we’re talking about older people when their friends start dying. The young people at the job, at the volunteer center, at whatever, provide the connective through thread in their lives to give them purpose.
Some people are very fortunate and they can find purpose without structure, but a lot of people need that structure. I think you’re 80% more likely to die within a year of your spouse dying when you’re over a certain age. Just you need that social structure
I think that a significant factor in the cross section of “need purpose” and “work = purpose” comes from a sort of brainwashing though. When you’re taught (intentionally or otherwise) that amount of money, marketable skills, monetization of hobbies, etc all directly correlate to your worth as a person, it’s absolutely surprising nobody that people who stop working (whether through retirement, disability, having children, etc) become depressed.
I totally agree with you, except for the part where you say that it isn’t dystopian. A utopian society would be beyond that frame of mind imo and retired people would feel free to explore hobbies and passions, feeling more fulfilled than they ever did selling their labor for survival. I don’t think these people want to go back to work; I think they want to feel useful. And they’ve only ever felt useful as workers. They can’t imagine any other productive use because they’ve never experienced it.
I think people feel useful in social contexts, people they see everyday, who depend on them, who have consistent interactions. And most people get that through work. Especially when we’re talking about older people when their friends start dying. The young people at the job, at the volunteer center, at whatever, provide the connective through thread in their lives to give them purpose.
Some people are very fortunate and they can find purpose without structure, but a lot of people need that structure. I think you’re 80% more likely to die within a year of your spouse dying when you’re over a certain age. Just you need that social structure
We are indeed social animals.