Recharged for a new adventure

Just over a year ago, I had my mandatory retirement. I was even welcomed by an elder colleague into the ranks of the 6.5 million-strong Filipinos who have opened a new chapter of their lives. This was after 38 years of full-time service as professor, department chair, vice chancellor, and faculty regent in the UP Board of Regents of the UP System.

So, what’s new? I now have more control of my life. I have more time to write and reflect. To do the things I have long wanted to do. Every day is now all mine. But the trouble with retirement is that you never seem to get a day off.

Now, here is some bit of good news. According to the 2008 issue of the Journal of Psychological Science, No. 2, “The potential for high-functioning brain activity peaks in our 50s, but remain high until our 90s.” The Journal concludes that “we have the capacity to excel at any age.” No wonder Charles Darwin wrote his best work, “On the Origin of Species,” when he was in his late 50s. Ray Charles, producer and songwriter, wrote his best songs as a senior citizen and won his Grammy Award at age 74. The average age of Nobel Prize winners in Physics is 55. In Medicine it is 58, while in the field of Economics it is 67. And quantum physicist Freeman Dyson was 88 years old when he discovered the groundbreaking solution to the oldest problem in Game Theory, what is called “The Prisoners’ Dilemma.”

We age and become precious “vintage.” As English author Francis Bacon wrote, “Now we can look forward to our time in our age when we are best in four things: old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends that we can really trust, and old, wise authors to read.” Yes, we are wiser with the wisdom of the accumulated things we have seen and experienced. Careers can end because of mandatory retirement, but careers can be replaced with new work, new pursuits, new challenges, and new causes.

Though the COVID-19 pandemic has altered my plans to do a lot of traveling and socializing, I have continued doing scholarly work. I continue to serve with greater vigor as a public intellectual to shareʍeven onlineʍmy knowledge, experiences, and insights to younger colleagues, scholars, and the larger community of our nation. Some of my older friends have shown that there is no retirement for those who devote years of service to the disadvantaged. They have become more integrated in the life and struggles of their community.

Do not think that you have reached the apex of your accomplishments in your professional life. You are still going to achieve more, hopefully not just for your family, but for a better world and country. I have listed a few items of advice that you can carry with you:

First, enjoy your retirement. You deserve to enjoy it. Enjoy bonding with your family, and when COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, travel a lot with them. Renew your friendships with your former classmates and friends. Or you can take an active part in projects in your barangay or village association, or even better, in organizations of senior citizens in your community.

Second, learn a new skill that you enjoy doing, and you might even build a new income source on something you really like to do, with you as the boss. Engaging in agriculture brings us back closer to the soil and to nature.

Third, for your health, exercise daily to keep fit, but also always read a lot of books to keep your brain active. Best is to join a book club or organize one with friends or neighbors. Being healthy assures that we live a long, happy life. Never retire your brain; keep it very active with new ideas and new advocacies.

My last advice is, keep loving deeply. But don’t say, “Matatanda na tayo eh.” There is a saying that people who are always in love look through the world with rose-colored glasses. They see everything as beautiful, good, and with optimism. Always.

Retirement is the next chapter of your life that brings you endless time to do the things you really love to do. I wish you all good health as you begin your new adventure in life.

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Roland G. Simbulan, 67, is a retired professor from the University of the Philippines. He is the author of eight books and serves as vice chair of the Center for People Empowerment in Governance, a public policy think tank.