In my part of the world, one of the major reasons people go for government work is the pension that comes with it after retirement. Although it can be very tiring in some situations to claim these benefits, once one succeeds, the reward is huge and always life-supporting.
How would I plan my life if I were a government worker and I had to retire now?
It is very simple.
The plan would be to either continue with the establishment I built while working as a government staff or to establish one with the money I would be receiving if I did not do so while I was still active.
While I was at home, I became quite close to one of our church deacons who retired at that time as a secondary school principal. He went on to learn how to produce chalk (white chalk for blackboards), and he began supplying it to schools that were still using blackboards and chalk. He told me that what he was doing was his retirement plan, one that would keep him active and prevent him from staying idle at home all the time.
Some of us were trained in a way that makes us believe staying idle drains one’s strength and even invites sickness. If I were to retire today with enough money as pension, I would still remain active with work, although not with jobs that demand too much physical strength. I could go into agriculture, either crop production or livestock rearing such as birds, goats, and others. These activities would not only keep me busy, but would also encourage me to leave the house regularly and serve as a form of exercise. Although I would employ staff to handle the major and highly strength-demanding tasks, I would still oversee the work and attend to the little duties. I love agriculture so much, and the entire process of producing food that will eventually be used at home is very interesting to me.
I believe I would still have a lot of strength in me whenever my retirement time comes, and the hunt for money is not going to reduce. However, even if my strength fades due to old age, I am never going to succumb to staying at home unproductively. In a situation where old age becomes very deep, I would then simply eat from the fruits of my establishments rather than depend solely on my children. You know, people of our generation have an advantage when it comes to technology. Even at old age, one could still engage in swap-and-sell trading in cryptocurrency to make some money and also have some fun. So it does not have to be only physical work that serves as an option for making ends meet, except in a situation where the brain can no longer function effectively.
Some of the richest people in Nigeria today are elderly individuals who are still very much engaged in their work. They are not working for the government; instead, they even have the government working for them. Yes, that would be the plan, to build a solid establishment that will continue yielding money.
Thanks for reading
This is my entry to Week 206, Edition 01 of the Weekly Featured contest in Hive Learners Community
Photos used is mine