Based on my experience as a corporate retiree, I found it is a familiar truism to say that “human being was never intended to live this long” as we do in the 21st century. A close friend of mine in ‘baby bloomers generation’ puts it in a better way, ‘Biology,’ he likes to say, ‘will only take you to age 64 for Muslims following the life-span of Prophet Muhammad PBUH. After that, you’ve to give yourself a reason for living.
So, the notion of retirement as a time of withdrawal is largely disappearing. In its place is a new, much more vital vision of how most people want to live as they grow older. None of my retiree batch spends enough time thinking and planning for retirement. It is an awakening for anyone who has ever wondered ‘Who will I be’ when traditional work or career ends. As such, I always want to learn from my seniors and contemporaries how they systematically use their portfolio of talents, knowledge, skills and experiences to ensure success lasts a lifetime.
I am indeed grateful to the former High Court Judge Dato' Syed Ahmad Idid for hosting New Year 2025 luncheon for his long-time friends who mostly are comfortably retired from the public and public sectors. Dato' Syed is a classic role model, after retirement from judiciary service, he served as Director of Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC), a global hub for dispute resolution, backed by years of experience to provide the best services and solutions for Malaysia. Following which he had also served as Senior Fellow with International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Research Management Centre, where he contributed books on legal & court matters.
Another eminent retiree after illustriously serving Malaysia Airlines (MAS) for 39 years, Captain Kamil Abu Bakar, culminating being the Director of Flight Operations. During retirement since June 2011, spending his time researching and writing for articles & books. His best seller book entitled ‘Malaysian Aviation - The Untold Stories’ and soon to be published book is entitled “Family Tapestry”.
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