Can 'retirement' be a stepping stone to productivity?

by Gamini T Pandikorala

While surfing the net the other day to gather information on the subject of retirement, I observed a very strange feature of the pensioners all over the world: they have wide variety of things in common. One website had headings such as 'stay informed', 'stay challenged', 'stay generous' 'stay balanced' 'stay green' and most of all 'stay healthy' which would attract any pensioner/pensioners' association. I thought 'why not we reword the famous slogan of the working class to read 'Pensioners (Retired workers) of the world unite'. To catch them old? But I prefer the word 'network' instead of 'catch'.

They say 'better late than never'. Knowing who you are is important to begin with. We know that the title 'pensioner' is given to the employee by the employer. Can one refuse this title? Not the pension, of course. My proposition is you can. No employer can retire an employee until that employee decides to retire i.e. to stop serving that employer. At retirement the salary can be stopped or reduced, and the employee can be denied of increments, promotions and make the office or factory out of bound for him/her but, yet the employee can continue to serve its employer in an indirect manner.

This is practicable in any country with any employer.

Before I tell you how this can be done, let me explain the prerequisite research one should be engaged in. That's setting yourself on an 'Inward journey'. Great men emerged in the history of mankind who introduced to the world the way to look inward and deal with the so called doer supposed to be inside you. The self inquiry to become free from all external influences and see for yourself the unique state which is the bedrock of creativity. Such a person projecting inwardly is getting a bird's eye view of all philosophies and in outer world new sciences and management subjects.

Reinforced

These can easily be used according to his/her needs prevalent at a given situation. They are reinforced by this inner journey strength. Being a retiree is no obstacle. The right to know this path is one's fundamental right. This is where today's human right activists go wrong. Nothing falls in place in the absence of this beginning. A strong thread that binds all pensioners together on the journey.

Let me now ask the pensioners a simple question. Are you happy? If you say you are happy as you have reached the highest position that an employee could achieve, I have my doubts about that happiness.

I knew a certain labourer in a state bank where I worked who gave a creative idea to the bank. The bank used it throughout their branch network and the saving of costs ran in to thousands of rupees. But the labourer could not be developed to rise even one grade above his original undeserved grade.

Can the officers who are responsible for this unfortunate plight of the labourer be happy on their retirement life? But the good news is, if you step in to the 'Inward Journey' it can purify you what ever your shortcomings, wrongdoings committed by you in any capacity are, and then begin to serve your former institute(ex-employer). As the purifying element is effective while you are on this Inward Journey any retiree can rejoin the only grade available to them at the respective ex-employers - 'Super Grade'.

Try and get this new grade - No competition. It's above any position existed or currently existing in any institution. We got to share these wonderful experiences with others.

The pensionable age is more or less same in all countries. This age offers the pensioner the second opportunity in life.

The progress in proper inward journey where all gains will be due to your own creative efforts. As the Buddha who only showed the path said, He had no teacher (please ignore this in worldly matters). But keep inquiring - am I fully liberated and creative? The key word is creativity.

Advanced

The second part of your life is the advanced part, If you are on your Inward Journey, sharing the experiences of others (you become fit to get exposed to the outer world.)

The value of your time too can be enhanced. For example, if your present value of one year is doubled then one year of your life would equal to two years automatically.

Now I know what your million dollar question is: 'How can I feel as a pensioner that I am working in the institution, may be even for 24 hours when I don't get promotions like others'? To illustrate this point, I will share an experience I had with a state bank to deposit money. I am generally vigilant when I walk in to any branch which belongs to the bank I served for more than 30 years. I noticed some shortcomings which I felt should be brought to the notice of the manager. (My own problem of a few coins in that till in the denomination of cents 5,10 and 25 was smartly resolved by the officer who counted them as a help to the cashier) As the manager appeared to be very busy I came home and took a call to him. The girl who answered my call said very politely that the manager's engaged in a call therefore I should call later. I dialled the number again in one hour as suggested by her. This time she connected me to the manager almost immediately. I told him about the shortcomings I observed for which he said he had written to Head office and it would be corrected soon.

Business

I took his permission to point out another matter concerning his staff in a few seconds. I told him what his receptionist told me. I conveyed to him as the girl was very polite she compensated my disappointment of not being able to talk to him. The customer was retained. She did the thing right.

But did she do the right thing? The right thing should have been to ask me whether she could help me if it was any business matter. I could have been a customer with one million rupees and wanting to open an account at the bank. In spite of doing a thing right the bank can miss a business to a rival bank. The bank manager being an intelligent person appreciated my comments and agreed with me wholeheartedly.

Here I felt I had performed a duty genuinely and proved to the bank that there is a return on pension paid out to a retiree. Any retiree can serve his/her ex-employer in this manner and qualify for an automatic promotion to the 'super grade' exclusively reserved for pensioners!