“For as long as I can…,” wrote Mahathir Mohamad on his Facebook page, as he returned to his office at Yayasan Kepimpinan Perdana after months of recovery from injury and hospitalisation.
For context, early last January, Mahathir Mohamad was admitted to the National Heart Institute (IJN) after suffering a fall at his home. He fractured a hip and was placed in medical observation for months.
At 100 years old, after a fall that resulted in a fractured bone and a prolonged period of treatment and physiotherapy, his return has been framed as inspiring — the tireless statesman, the “grand old man” of Malaysian politics, still at work.
But what exactly is Mahathir’s work?
If you ask him, he may say it is to defend religion, race, and country — and perhaps to pass down wisdom and experience to the next generation. And indeed, that is how such returns are often portrayed: as acts of duty, even sacrifice.
Yet there is another, less romantic way to understand this.
Perhaps Mahathir is simply doing what he does because that is who he is. Strip him of his work, and you strip him of himself.
Identity and the Older Generation
People of Mahathir’s generation tend to fuse identity with occupation far more deeply than younger generations. For someone who spent decades at the very peak of power, that identification is not just strong — it is total.
Younger people, by contrast, have a more dispersed sense of self. Work is part of who we are, but it is rarely the defining core. Relationships, hobbies, personal interests — these all form parallel pillars of identity.
When younger individuals retire, they often transition into other roles: nurturing relationships, deepening interests, exploring life beyond work.
But for many in the older generation, especially those who rose to positions of immense authority, there is no such fallback. Without their role, they do not merely feel idle — they feel erased.
This is even more pronounced among those who held power. A factory worker or cleaner may not define themselves by their job; in fact, they might gladly leave it behind. But a leader, a CEO, or a statesman often internalises their position so deeply that stepping away feels like ceasing to exist.
Work as Need, Not Sacrifice
It is therefore a misconception to assume that elderly figures who continue working are doing so selflessly for society.
A more honest interpretation may be this: they are doing it for themselves.
Work provides two essential psychological anchors — a sense of value and a sense of power. To feel valuable, one must feel needed. To feel powerful, one must feel capable of shaping the world.
For those from working-class backgrounds, value often comes from the ability to perform a job. For those from elite backgrounds, power — influence, control, relevance — becomes the primary source of identity.
Seen in this light, the return to work is less about sacrifice and more about preservation — preserving relevance, identity, and self-worth.
The Addiction to Power
This leads to an uncomfortable but necessary question: should we always celebrate such returns?
There is a case to be made that what we are witnessing is not merely dedication, but dependency.
An addiction to power and control.
For individuals who have spent decades exercising authority, the absence of it can feel intolerable. Retirement is not rest — it is withdrawal.
And like all withdrawals, it produces discomfort, even distress.
If that is true, then continuing to provide platforms for such individuals is not necessarily noble. It may instead be enabling — allowing them to continue indulging in the very structures that sustain their dependency.
A System That Does Not Teach Us to Age
This phenomenon also reflects a deeper failure — not of individuals, but of the system.
Our education system prepares us for careers, competition, and productivity. It does not prepare us for decline, ageing, or death — the only certainties in life.
Subjects like philosophy and religion are often dismissed as impractical in youth. Yet these are precisely the disciplines that equip individuals to confront mortality, detach from ego, and find meaning beyond work.
Contrary to popular belief, wisdom does not arrive automatically with age. Age brings frailty and proximity to death — but not necessarily understanding.
Without intellectual and spiritual preparation, many do not grow wiser; they simply grow more fearful, more dependent, and more lost.
Letting Go vs Clinging On
There is a broader societal implication here.
A country cannot renew itself if power, access, and influence remain concentrated in the hands of those who cannot let go.
Across fields — from science to business to the arts — peak value creation tends to occur between the ages of 30 and 50. Beyond that, energy declines, knowledge becomes outdated, and adaptability weakens.
Yet structures of power often remain locked in older hands.
If a nation is serious about renewal, it must actively transfer control to those in their prime — not passively wait for it to be relinquished.
A Different Way to See It
So when we see Mahathir back at his desk at 100, perhaps the question is not whether we should admire it.
Perhaps the question is: what does it reveal?
It reveals a generation that was never taught how to let go.
It reveals a system that equates worth with work and identity with power.
It reveals that we might still be much more of a material society than we assume - which has no concept of refining the mind or purifying the heart, but is only engaged in being successful in the world, to the point that even after one reaches a stage where there is no need for anymore worldly success, or even when one is troubled but ailments and physical decline, one still cannot wean oneself of a desire for success, simply because one has no other purpose for existing or see any other meaning to ones life.
And it reveals a society that still struggles to distinguish between service and self-preservation.
In the end, continuing to work at that age may not be a sign of strength or sacrifice.
It may simply be a sign that we are actually an incomplete society - that doesn't teach our members how to grow old and die, although they will someday have to inevitably face the prospect of growing old and dying.
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