The public service entrepreneur Marc Freedman says retirement means more than Florida or Phoenix, bridge clubs, shuffleboard, tennis or aquatic aerobics, more even than golf.
Forget the big ship cruises and the God-given right to revert to a migratory existence, bouncing from one temperate clime to another – retirement is about legacy and contribution and service.
Years ago retirement was a much needed rest, then it became a second childhood, and now, if you poll those approaching 65, it’s going to become a continuation of mid-life. Boomers don’t want to leave the working world, but they might welcome a new kind of challenge.
Freedman says we should tap into that enthusiasm and experience and use it to change the world. He’s started up a kind of Americorp for the elderly, a place where people can take all the accumulated knowledge of their lives and use it to make a difference – and the idea is catching on.
Transmuting the Golden Years is on this hour.
(Hosted by Christopher Lydon)
Guests:
Marc Freedman, president of Civic Ventures and author of “Prime Time: How Baby Boomers Will Revolutionize Retirement and Transform America.”