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I do not believe retirement exists in the way we are taught to think about it.

For most people, retirement is presented as the ultimate goal. You are told to work hard for decades, tolerate what you dislike, save whatever you can, and one day you will finally be free. Free to rest, free to travel, and free to live life on your own terms.

But if someone feels the need to retire from something, I want to ask them a question. Why did they choose to spend so many years doing it in the first place?

Retirement is all about escaping something you dislike the most. And still you choose to invest your 35-40 years doing it.

I know a lot of people do a job because they do not have any other way to support their financial needs. So it becomes a necessity.

But what about life after you get the job?

Do you put effort into building a way out, or do you get comfortable and forget that you are stuck in a cycle?

Saying ‘I had no option’ might help you get sympathy. But never forget that it’s your life, no sympathy will ever bring your 20s back to your life. And it does not explain why you stayed for decades without trying to change direction.

I grew up watching people around me wake up early every morning, get ready, and leave home for the office. They would come back late at night, tired and frustrated. They complained about work constantly, but they did nothing to change their situation.

They were stuck in a loop.

I still see people celebrating Fridays as if they have made something big in their lives.

As a child, I did not fully understand what was wrong with these people. Now I do. People were giving away most of their lives just to earn the right to rest later.

The story is not as harsh as people portray it.

It’s okay that some people genuinely had no way out and did the best they could. But many others did have opportunities. They had skills, access to the internet, and the ability to learn new things.

Even while being unhappy with their work, they did not take steps to change direction. Not because they were incapable, but because they could not take the risk. I’d rather call them lazy and comfort zone-loving people.

Retirement is projected as freedom. It encourages people to tolerate lives they do not enjoy and accept unhappiness now so they can enjoy the happiness which will come later.

People retire and realise it does not change anything. They hated working that drained them every single day. Stopping their ‘work’ does not give their 20s or 30s back.

This is why I never trusted the idea of retirement as a goal.

What I want instead

I do not want to work for decades just so I can eventually feel free. I want to build something that fits into my life instead of taking it over. I want work that allows me to grow while still enjoying my life.

This does not mean working all the time or avoiding rest. It means choosing work that I actually love or enjoy, so it doesn’t even look like a job or work. It means slowly moving towards more control over how I earn and how I spend my time.

No, you don’t need to quit your job tomorrow and take a huge risk. But please ask this question. Is this path helping me build the life I want, or am I just waiting for it to end?

Life alongside work

Retirement assumes that life begins after work is over. I believe life should happen alongside work, not after it. The earlier you build choice into your earnings and your time, the less appealing retirement becomes.

For me, the goal is simple. I want a life I do not need to escape from. I want work that supports my living.

That is why I say retirement does not exist.

It never had to.

Thank you for reading this edition. I have always wanted to share my point of view on this topic. I often see people living lives they hate, yet they never take action to improve their situation. People keep saying they have no options, but what they often mean is that they do not want to change. I hope you enjoyed this edition.

See you then? Cheers mate.

— Anirban