You showed admirable restraint with that young woman, Roger. It’s funny because nobody is telling Dame Judy Dench, Warren Buffet, or Joe Biden how sorry they are that they still “have” to work.

A lot of people are so unhappy in their jobs that they can’t conceive of anyone not wanting to quit as soon as possible. Articles with titles like, “How I Made Millions and Retired at 35” are wildly popular.

In my parents’ generation and before (I’m 63), there were many more blue collar workers who were just physically unable to keep working at 65. Their working lives had so little leisure time that being able to take it easy for a few years before shuffling off this mortal coil was a treat. Usually, there were grandchildren in their lives or other young people they could mentor. That’s not often the case anymore.

In recent years, universities have become primarily trade schools. How else could you justify the expense or hope to pay off those student loans? Folks who would have been happier doing something else became engineers, actuaries, and IT managers. Many of the liberal arts disciplines that developed the whole human being rather than just the worker bee are barely touched upon by today’s college students.

We’re facing great societal changes. Hopefully, there will be a shift away from the desire for an affluent, indolent lifestyle toward something more meaningful and fulfilling. We can hope! Next time someone asks if you’re retired just say, “No. I’m not nearly old enough. How about you?”