Discuss the positive and negative effects of retirement on retirees’ life.

Retirement may seem to be an ending or a closing, but it also can be a new chapter or a beginning with its own benefits and drawbacks that will be discussed in this essay.    

On the minus side, retirement has the potential to adversely impact retirees’ finances. For a large number of people in different countries, retirement means having difficulty in making ends meet owing to the fact that those who stop working because of reaching a certain age are very unlikely to earn half as much income as they used to generate and this is while they might have to pay for an array of extra expenditures namely medical expenses. A case in point is Iran where the retired have to seek for a part time job due to high inflation; otherwise, they will have to grapple with financial challenges as long as they are alive.

Moreover, physical health and conditions are bound to be endangered once people retire. For some senior citizens abandoning one’s job due to age limitations equals not only living a sedentary life but also being engaged in passive activities like watching TV. Statistics issued by UN Retiree Associations indicate that pensioners are twice as much in danger of cardiovascular diseases as other society members. Another great impact of retirement might be felt mentally and emotionally as their sense of identity and usefulness was tied up in their occupation for many years and leaving the job would hurt it.

On the plus side, retirement can be an opportunity to find new ways to get engaged in activities of which retirees were deprived for long due to their tight schedule. Volunteering at a community organization, mentoring a child, or becoming more involved with grandchildren are just some typical examples. Furthermore, responsibilities at work are a major source of anxiety for many employees whether they are junior clerks or high-ranking managers, and retirement might offer a respite from the pressure of work. By removing the need to perform a high standard service to meet specific targets or the stress that may come from interacting with superiors and customers, retirement can bring peace of mind.

In conclusion, quitting the rat race could be nice; however, one has to adopt themselves to get along with less cheese.

Hamid Mollazadeh

Time: 45′

Word count: 37