Originally Posted by
Gunfighter
People want to have a purpose and an identity. Some people get their identity from their profession. For those individuals being closer to the top feeds the identity. It was therefore not surprising the "letter" came from pilots who had lost their identity and were searching for a new way to be relevant by pushing for 67. I don't fault them for human nature.
The R&I committee could take a lesson from Gen X by helping our soon to be retired pilots find purpose in life. A fewsuggestions for making the mental preparations for retirement, not just financial ones is a start.
I never understood the motivation to keep working longer than neccesary. Maybe it's my blue colar union family roots but everyone I knew was trying to retiire as early as possible. Yes, pensions were the norm but all we have done is shift the resposibility and planning to the individual. My father retired at 57 and absolutely enjoys his retirement. I hope to emulate that. My experience is that those who plan and go early find things to do that have meaning for them, while those that hang on as long as possible become "that guy" at work.