Awais Babar argues that Pakistan does not have enough jobs because many individuals refrain from retiring in a dignified way even when they know they are no longer able to work skillfully due to their old age.
One of the reasons why our country does not possess a natural progression of jobs is that many never retire. Let us not look elsewhere – what is Ehsan Mani doing as a PCB Chairman? He is even older than Pakistan.
And why have we forgotten that one day we will have to retire or will be forced to no matter how many jobs we currently have, so why not retire in a dignified way?
I am not referring to retirements in professions which are freelance such as journalism, art, law practice, music, science etc. The retirement in such professions is determined by the customers, not the man running the business or displaying his art. The drastic depletion in the demand of their skill sends them a signal that it is about time.
The retirement in jobs are the ones which are most valuable. These jobs are honourable in their very essence. The most honourable job in a society is that of a judge; man whom people look up to for justice. And what can be more honourable than giving one's life for the country? The protectors of the country; the men who sacrifice their lives to protect civilians of a country. Amongst those few lucky ones, some men or women are unable to contemplate the outstanding nature of their jobs and end up demoting themselves by looking for a lot more inferior jobs than their previous ones.
Despite the fact that we were taught from the very beginning that this world is a temporary place to be at, and therefore we should be more spiritual than worldly, I find myself amongst the most gluttonous of people. I see government officers depressed when they retire as if their whole world has been torn apart. I also see judges of the Supreme Court who are unable to comprehend the prestige inherent in the positions they have held, the mightiest of all, a Justice of the Supreme Court, only to demote themselves to a job of NAB chairman? Or I see people doing a job way above their head.
Misbah-ul-Haq could not help but retire and took two positions above his head without caring to prepare. Waqar Younis, the former head coach, and now the bowling coach is working under the man he coached just some years ago. Earning bread and butter is everyone's need and there is utterly no doubt about that, but we need to be clear that it’s not the bread these men are after.
Not to forget the politicians, most of whom endeavour to be at the throne until their last breath, and would even give away their life for power. Moreover, in order to have a feeling of perpetual reign they install their software into their children to give a continuation to their throne, psychologically at least. These politicians instead of nourishing the true political spirit in their workers keep nourishing their reigns and keep their children as residues just in case they falter.
More recently, the oldest and tenable college of Pakistan, Edwards College Peshawar, which was established in 1900, was put in perils by one such individual who also would not retire and created havoc in the college by his iniquitous activities – Brigadier (R) Nayar Fardous.
Before him, Edwardes college traditionally had a Principal from Britain and never ever has the college been in such a precarious situation in 120 years since its inception. The teachers who have given their life to the college, the students who hold pride in being Edwardians including the author, all their stakes are at stake because one man would not retire until the final retirement. Recently, after a long resistance by teachers as well as students, the man was finally shown the door by the college’s Board of Governors (BoG). Now the college under the new acting principal and its bright teachers who have given decades to the college are trying earnestly to bring back the glory of college.
I am not suggesting that after retirement one should sit in a balcony with a cup of coffee and do nothing. It is not anyone's domain to set the domains for others. I only tend to suggest an idea of retiring in a dignified way in the jobs which are inherently respectable. If a justice of a Supreme Court, generals, high ranking officers and other prime people start looking for jobs of diplomats and other appropriate people for such jobs then it disturbs the whole cycle of distribution of sources of the state.
The primary reason why people tend to look for jobs after retirement even if such jobs are way below their standing is that throughout their lives their attachment is almost always to money and power; they never loved what they were doing, it was rather a pleasure for them. Life for them becomes maintenance of their life standard in terms of their belongings only.
If you are young and do not want to end up being an unhappy retired man then love what you do or start doing something that you do love. If you do what these men did, the ones who are merely attached to power, government vehicles, servants gifted by the states to serve them, seeking superiority over others, or always busy in attempt to one up others then you will end up just like them.
Your world will also fall apart when the government will take everything away at your retirement if everything that they take away was everything for you.
One of the reasons why our country does not possess a natural progression of jobs is that many never retire. Let us not look elsewhere – what is Ehsan Mani doing as a PCB Chairman? He is even older than Pakistan.
And why have we forgotten that one day we will have to retire or will be forced to no matter how many jobs we currently have, so why not retire in a dignified way?
I am not referring to retirements in professions which are freelance such as journalism, art, law practice, music, science etc. The retirement in such professions is determined by the customers, not the man running the business or displaying his art. The drastic depletion in the demand of their skill sends them a signal that it is about time.
The retirement in jobs are the ones which are most valuable. These jobs are honourable in their very essence. The most honourable job in a society is that of a judge; man whom people look up to for justice. And what can be more honourable than giving one's life for the country? The protectors of the country; the men who sacrifice their lives to protect civilians of a country. Amongst those few lucky ones, some men or women are unable to contemplate the outstanding nature of their jobs and end up demoting themselves by looking for a lot more inferior jobs than their previous ones.
Despite the fact that we were taught from the very beginning that this world is a temporary place to be at, and therefore we should be more spiritual than worldly, I find myself amongst the most gluttonous of people. I see government officers depressed when they retire as if their whole world has been torn apart. I also see judges of the Supreme Court who are unable to comprehend the prestige inherent in the positions they have held, the mightiest of all, a Justice of the Supreme Court, only to demote themselves to a job of NAB chairman? Or I see people doing a job way above their head.
Misbah-ul-Haq could not help but retire and took two positions above his head without caring to prepare. Waqar Younis, the former head coach, and now the bowling coach is working under the man he coached just some years ago. Earning bread and butter is everyone's need and there is utterly no doubt about that, but we need to be clear that it’s not the bread these men are after.
Not to forget the politicians, most of whom endeavour to be at the throne until their last breath, and would even give away their life for power. Moreover, in order to have a feeling of perpetual reign they install their software into their children to give a continuation to their throne, psychologically at least. These politicians instead of nourishing the true political spirit in their workers keep nourishing their reigns and keep their children as residues just in case they falter.
More recently, the oldest and tenable college of Pakistan, Edwards College Peshawar, which was established in 1900, was put in perils by one such individual who also would not retire and created havoc in the college by his iniquitous activities – Brigadier (R) Nayar Fardous.
Before him, Edwardes college traditionally had a Principal from Britain and never ever has the college been in such a precarious situation in 120 years since its inception. The teachers who have given their life to the college, the students who hold pride in being Edwardians including the author, all their stakes are at stake because one man would not retire until the final retirement. Recently, after a long resistance by teachers as well as students, the man was finally shown the door by the college’s Board of Governors (BoG). Now the college under the new acting principal and its bright teachers who have given decades to the college are trying earnestly to bring back the glory of college.
I am not suggesting that after retirement one should sit in a balcony with a cup of coffee and do nothing. It is not anyone's domain to set the domains for others. I only tend to suggest an idea of retiring in a dignified way in the jobs which are inherently respectable. If a justice of a Supreme Court, generals, high ranking officers and other prime people start looking for jobs of diplomats and other appropriate people for such jobs then it disturbs the whole cycle of distribution of sources of the state.
The primary reason why people tend to look for jobs after retirement even if such jobs are way below their standing is that throughout their lives their attachment is almost always to money and power; they never loved what they were doing, it was rather a pleasure for them. Life for them becomes maintenance of their life standard in terms of their belongings only.
If you are young and do not want to end up being an unhappy retired man then love what you do or start doing something that you do love. If you do what these men did, the ones who are merely attached to power, government vehicles, servants gifted by the states to serve them, seeking superiority over others, or always busy in attempt to one up others then you will end up just like them.
Your world will also fall apart when the government will take everything away at your retirement if everything that they take away was everything for you.