6/07/2009
Live well and die well
Many of you must have heard of the story that life should begin at 90 and ended when we become a baby, the reverse order of things. Maybe I should modify this a little to 70-0, starting at 70 and finishing at 0. At 70, quite a few would still be able to live a good life with body parts still functioning, with a lot of cash to spend and by the time they have enjoyed their life, it is time to retire as a baby, to be cuddle and pampered. That would be a good ending instead of all the old hags living but not living, becoming a burden to themselves, their family and the state.
Under the present system and condition, don't ever wish to live past 70 if you don't have money. For you will need an overhaul of your whole body system and get the major parts changed. And you bet, most of you cannot afford it. If you can't you will ended up like stray dogs and cats, abandoned or neglected, and left to watch the world passes by in the void decks.
But not to worry, especially the younger people. The govt will help you to plan for a life when you can live till 90 or even 100, and with a lot of money left to spend. The catch is that you will not have much to spend when you are young and healthy. You need to spread your income to 100 years.
Which is a better choice, enjoy when you are young and can, and die well, or abstain from enjoying or living well, to live longer and drag on to 100? I think we need a whole rethink on the meaning of life, the meaning of savings, and the meaning of extending life unnecessarily. The latter could be a long and miserable journey to many, with money but just cannot do anything, except lying in bed. Is that a good life, a good way to live the last part of one's life?
Do we really need to save so much for a time when we only need a bed to lie down and nothing else?
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23 comments:
If you want to age gracefully and retire happily, it's really simple:
1. Don't smoke.
2. Don't gamble.
4. Don't drink to excess.
5. Have a good family life.
6. Exercise regularly.
7. Have a lifelong hobby you really like.
8. Invest wisely.
9. Be happy.
It is difficult not to:
Fall sick and suffer from physical
degenerations
Be less mobile
Have sight and hearing defects
Get abandon(by kins), shun/ignoreand neglect(by people around like neighbours,
relatives, friends, political/community leaders), bully
by inconsiderates
It is very challenging and difficult to age gracefully and ends up happily in Singapore.
Nevertheless, let us hope that the State will make living less arduous for the people, especially the older citizens.
"Get abandon(by kins), shun/ignoreand neglect(by people around like neighbours,
relatives, friends, political/community leaders), bully
by inconsiderates"
If you follow my 8th dictum, that is, invest wisely, none of what you say will happen! :-) He he.
"Do we really need to save so much for a time when we only need a bed to lie down and nothing else?"
For sure we do, Redbean. You want the bed to be in an exclusvie retirement village condo complete with duty medical personnel 24/7 rather than in a dingy one room apartment somewhere in the Redhill district.
Mr Wally Buffet 1121AM,
very true, Dictum 8 could indeed be as You said.
Invest wisely !
Don't be liked me, gambled foolishly and now have to live poorly. Anyway, me blames nobody.
Best not to gamble.
Do what I say, don't do what I do.
Thank You Wally !
hi wally,
if i have to lie in bed, i would rather die. what is living when you are just lying there? go, let go, and start a new life. not worth wasting money to be fed while lying on a bed. it is not living!
Hi Redbean,
Sorry lah, you cannot just die anytime you wish like it.
Euthanasia is illegal in Singapore.
So, when we are feeble, cannot move, cannot eat, cannot anything, some comfortable environment and professional help is very welcomed.
hi wally, it is all about one's perception or philosophy in life. what is the point of living when looking ahead is but the ceiling? my philosophy is that when i reach that state, they can discard my body anywhere. nevermind, 2 days without water is all that is needed. just abstain and there you go : )
Like that ah!
Amitabha
Lost Citizen
The 9 rules from Wally, hmm...some of it are difficult to achieve.
Example:
2. Don't gamble & 8. Invest wisely
(those who gamble usually believe that they are investing wisely)
5. Have a good family life.
(who don't want and who don't know, but this is beyond a person's achievement, you need at least two people to realise this goal and to keep it that way throughout lifetime - hard isn't it for some people?)
6. Exercise regularly & 7. Have a lifelong hobby you really like
(many of us overly worked, little or no time to exercise and enjoy a hobby).
9. Be happy
(This is a sometimes a choice and sometimes not a choice. We become happy or unhappy, not always we can feel happy by just choosing to be happy).
When things are expensive, pressure level is high. Look around and count how many essentials in life are so expensive here.
Hi JJ,
Sorry for the omission and perhaps of not making myself clear but the nine rules of successful living can only be practised by retirees.
For youngsters like yourself, yes, agreed that it is very hard to follow all the rules.
when i look at some of my friends and seeing the parts breaking down and the pain and agony that they are going through, my god, for all the millions that one is saving in the bank account, they don't mean anything.
my advice to the younger people out there, enjoy yourself and live well. but never abuse your body by over eating and over drinking. treat your body well. the length of time for us to be here on earth may be fixed, but the condition of your vehicle, your body, to see you through depends on yourself. mess it up, you will end up lying on your back to enjoy the sight of the ceiling for the rest of your life.
Redbean,
Genetics is also important in your physiological outcome in the twilight years.
If you have parents who are healthy octogenarians the odds of you ending up like them is very high. If you inherit less perfect genes, it doesn't really matter if you follow all my 9 rules. Then, better accumulate that million dollar savings account and buy lots of medical insurance while young! :-)
hi wally,
accumulate millions and buy plenty of insurance. what about those who don't even have money to buy the next meal? : )
Our less fortunate citizens don't have to worry about their medical needs as Minister Khaw has said that no one who needs medical attention and cannot afford it will be turned away. And there is Medifund.
Since you and I may not qualify to be in the category of the really destitute but are not in the class of the super rich either, we should work hard when we were young and bought comprehensive medical insurance to cover us in our old age.
wally, many of us in the same generation went through a time when poverty was the norm. where got money to save then when everyday was trying to make ends meet?
i don't advertise the poverty i went through as it was nothing pleasant to to be proud off, though nothing to be ashamed of.
Agreed. Looking back, it was a really bad time for most of us. That's why I always maintain that though this administration has its foibles, overall, life has been made much more pleasant. Nothing is perfect.
The young of today really don't know what their parents and grandparents had to go through to bring home the bacon.
Since medical insurance didn't take off in a big way until quite recently, I am sure we would have been in a position then to plan and opt for something comprehensive to see us into our old age.
insurance schemes if not properly controlled, can be turned into an expensive scam. it will keep on adding to the cost and no one is wiser. the US medical insurance and our motor insurance are good examples to see how bad it can become.
look at the $30k medisave that is being locked up. assuming that at the moment the average per account is $10K, at 2m accounts, it works out to $20b being locked up for 30 to 50 years. can this sum be managed and designed as a kind of insurance to pay for all the citizens? now everyone is going to touch it. and if $20b and growing is not enough, nothing is going to be enough.
hear me, $20 billion out there in the medisave acounts, untouchable.
Reading through his comments, just got the feeling that Mr Wally is not quite able to empathize with the masses that are facing the challenges of survival in Singapore.
Oh oh, someone has the same sinking feeling as me. The rules of engagement has changed. Not headon but subtle, that's my feeling.
Anonymous 2:38
Hi,
On Singapore blogs, the constant refrain is always whining, whining and whining. So I thought maybe I could play the "bad guy" part and inject some contrarian views so as to liven up the debate. You know, the good cop, bad cop routine?
Rest assured that I am suffering with you as far as daily survival is concerned. But my needs are very simple. Just give me my daily fix of Hainanese coffee, my computer and my books and I am A OK.
Redbean,
I am not sure I get you.
Medisave untoucheable? Aren't you using it to pay for the Medishield and the tests for old foggies like us? If you want insurance cover, someone got to pay for it right? There are no free lunches. Besides, you still get interest on the Medisave balance unutilized which is better and safer than what the banks can offer. OK, the motor insurance is a bit over prized but it is not the fault of the insurance per se but the lack of political will to put all the scam artists into the slammer. And that sunny day for all of us may come sooner than you think.
Whatever scams and schemes there are, some insurance is better than no insurance.
hi wally, in my case, my health is as near perfect as i can get. i don't even go to the GP. and i do not think, touch wood, that i will use very much of my medisave. so untouchable to me. at my age, if i am hit with a big one, i will let it be rather than empty my savings to pay for the robbers to take all they want from me.
as for the cpf, let's hope that it is not run in the same way as a pyramid scheme. all pyramid scheme must collapse when the base stops growing.
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