I read or heard somewhere that the term retirement was an idea created during the Industrial Revolution. Until the Industrial Revolution people never retired. If fact the word itself had a negative meaning. Something was only retired once it was useless.
People spent the beginning part of their lives creating a financial foundation for themselves. Once they secured themselves financially they chased their passions.
Benjamin Franklin freed himself financially by being the first franchisee. He helped his apprentices start Newspaper printing presses in different states and charged them a percentage. By doing this he was free to study, learn, and chase his passion. If he hadn't the US might have never been born.
Also before the industrial revolution, a boy was raised by his mom until he was about 12. After which his father would bring him to work and teach him the family trade. In essence the
father spent most of his time with his sons. Young ladies would stay with their mom and learn her trade. After the work day was over they'd have dinner together.
Massachusetts was the first state to require parents to send their kids to school. Thus dividing the family. Yet the reason I said that was that the parents taught the kids, about politics and family history. Their education included a physical trade: sewing, cooking, or woodcarving, blacksmith etc. At that time people did not retire, they simply handed over the family trade to their sons. Then they spent their days learning and chasing what they were passionate about.
The problem was we had these massive factories that needed employees and at the time most people worked for themselves. The laws were changed to promote industry. The schooling system was rearranged to create good employees. The idea of retirement was to justify dedicating forty years of your life to build someone else's dream. The reward was suppose to be that the company would take care if you when you finished your alloted time. The problem today is that we are still teaching industrial age thinking to people who live in a new age with a different set of rules.
Wow!
Spot On Observation!
Really appreciate the background reflection in your comment in looking at the structure of a family and the practical structuring of accommodating best support.
Thank you. It's amazing what the mind retains. That was from a lecture talking about the family nucleus and how it's falling apart in our current culture lol. Yet when I heard it, it made sense to me.