Reinventing life’s purpose

I'll be retiring from teaching in a few months. Although the mere concept of it makes me sad because I will no longer be able to visit my coworkers as frequently as I would like. It's very bleak after decades of working in an institution that fully realizes my passion for teaching, arts, and culture.

Retirement should not be used to characterize a person's identity; rather, it should be used to describe the transition from one stage of life to the next. This is critical because our capacity to grasp this distinction and adjust our perspective will determine the success of our retirement transition.

Our work purpose may have been intimately linked to our daily initiatives, team leadership, role fulfillment, or other obligations. It could have been a sense of belonging to a team, a brotherhood or sisterhood, a corporation, or a group that inspired us to go to work every day. All of this is left behind when we retire, and after the "retirement party" is done, we often feel confused, dissatisfied, bored, or even depressed.

Personally, I would continue doing what I enjoy if I had the strength to do so. Yet, there is a true need to say our goodbyes if we are to slow down and confront a life worth dedicating to the people we actually care about for the rest of our lives.

But life does not end when we retire; it continues to touch more lives, allowing us to be of greater value to others and the society in which we live. We should use our knowledge, abilities, and insight to our advantage in this endeavor. We are in a better position to do this because we have been polished through time.

We also think about and aspire to be closer to our Creator in our retirement years. We've observed elderly people who go to church on a regular basis. I see this as more of a general or social endeavor, for the good of our loved ones and others, rather than just a personal effort.

And after decades of receiving benefits from the community, now is the time to give back, to assist those in need, and to be active members of society. This is an effort that we have made in the past, and now that we have the time, we can do it as often as we choose.

And for those thinking of retiring, remember to broaden the perspective on time and rethink life's purpose, because there's almost certainly more to come.