Are We Finally Ready to Retire the Word Retirement?
Over the years I've written many, many articles but I was recently reminded of the very first article I ever wrote entitled "Is It Retirement or Revivement?".
The reason I started thinking about this post was due to an article which shared at the age of 73, Shelley Duvall was returning to the screen after a 20 year sabbatical. She had left acting due to the need to care for her brother and is now back wanting to pursue her dream of winning an Oscar. She said;
"Jessica Tandy won an Oscar when she was 80. I can still win."
As I reflected on Shelley's comeback, it just reminded me that at any age people have dreams they may want to pursue.
When someone "comes out" of retirement, the fact that they announced they were entering into this time of life, I wondered whether this could make the decision for them to return to something more difficult. Is there a feeling that they have to explain their actions rather than just doing what they want?
When we box people into societal expectations of what should be done at a certain age, do we possibly limit ourselves and others? And when we consider someone as retired, are we then making it difficult for them to return or feel that they failed because of our societal view of what we believe retirement is?
Are we now ready to actually abandon the word retirement?
Ten years ago, I suggested the word revivement for this time of life but in retrospect, it really doesn't matter to me that much whether we call it this, or next stage or what's next or whatever else we decide to call it - or does it even need a name?
But one thing is for sure, if we really look at the definition of retirement it's definitely time to let this outdated term go and move on to a more positive view of the opportunities this time of life can bring.
Here's the very first article I first authored and published in 2013;
As I started to do my research for Booming Encore, I discovered two things. The first thing I noticed was that whenever I seemed to search retirement on the internet – financial planning was the first and most frequent topic presented to me. The second thing I noticed is that article after article kept referencing that the baby boomers were going to redefine retirement.
This got me thinking – if we are going to redefine retirement – should we maybe start by calling it something else?
So my thinking took me to the dictionary where I looked up the word retire. And here’s what it said;
to withdraw, or go away or apart, to a place of privacy, shelter,or seclusion:
to withdraw from office, business, or active life, usually because of age
to fall back or retreat in an orderly fashion and according to plan, as from battle, an untenable position, danger, etc
to withdraw or remove oneself
As I read the definition, I thought to myself – heck yes, this needs to be redefined. This is definitely not what I have planned for my retirement and I somehow think I’m not alone.
So after coming to this great conclusion, something inside me said – “you just can’t find a problem, you need to propose a solution”.
So I set out to try and find a new word for retirement. I went looking for something that I thought would better embody and represent a generation and this next phase of life.
After much thought and searching through dictionaries, I came up with the word – revivement. To me, this word reflected much more appropriately what I thought retirement should be.
The definition of revive is;
to activate, set in motion, or take up again; renew
to restore to life or consciousness
to put on or show (an old play or motion picture) again
to make operative or valid again
to bring back into notice, use, or currency
I think this word better embodies what many people are hoping to live in their retirement.
This unique time of life can offer a chance to revive interests, relationships, learning and experiences. It can be a time to support causes that are important and influence positive change both in yourself and the world we live in. This is a time can be filled with hope and the dream to pass on a better world to future generations.
