Almost daily one of you is retiring from government work after reaching the number of required years. For many of you who have labored hard and long especially at a job that you didn\u2019t really enjoy, retirement must be a blessing.<\/p>\n
I often wonder what you do after you retire. Do you simply hibernate, or do you do what you have always wanted to do but could not because of family and job restraints? After all how much golf or fishing can you do before becoming bored and burnout with those activities. Do you then seek out other retirees and relate old experiences? Honestly, I don\u2019t know what you do. But I feel there is much that you retirees with a wealth of experiences and history can do to help the youth in the CNMI. You have traveled over the same road that our youth are starting on.<\/p>\n
Our young people need close contact with you and hear your life stories along with the achievements and the failures that you have faced. They need hear your wisdom and realize there is hope and a future for them. Their parents are constantly trying to motivate them as are their teachers, but they need to hear the same stories from strangers such as you. As a result the encouragement takes on a new and deeper meaning. With the compassion and wisdom that comes with age, you can help them visualize their dreams.<\/p>\n
For a starter, you can call one of the schools in your neighborhood and offer your services. The principal and the teachers will find many exciting things for you to do with the children. For example,one of the functions you can do is help teens search for careers. Many children will decide not to go to a college after high school. You can guide them into seeking suitable employment. Make them understand that whatever job they select doesn\u2019t have to be a permanent one. It can be a learning experience. Advice them that a temporary job may lead them to a greater self-awareness about the importance of education, and they may return to school. Remember you have been there and experienced.<\/p>\n
Oh, there is so much you have to offer young people. Two wonderful things will happen. One, you will find a renewed vitality in yourself coupled with a sense of worth; second, the children will welcome you and accept you as a friend.<\/p>\n
Parts of a poem by Alfred Tennyson comes to mind when I think of retirees. It is entitled \u201cUlysses.\u201d The poem based on Homer\u2019s \u201cUlysses\u201d relates how this great king even after all the wonderful and exciting adventures he had during his lifetime is tired and bored as a retiree:
\n\u201cI am a part of all that I have met;
\nYet all experience is an arch where through
\nGleams that untraveled world, whose margin fades
\nFor ever and for ever when I move.
\nHow dull it is to pause, to make an end,
\nTo rust unburnished, not to shine in use!\u201d
\nThus he decides to seek a new and fresh meaning to his life before it ends:
\n\u201cWe are not now that strength which in old days
\nMoved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are,–
\nOne equal temper of heroic hearts,
\nMade weak by time and fate, but strong in will
\nTo strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Ulysses felt, you too have a mission to fulfill before your final curtain. There are many chances to help. Share your experience and knowledge with those that most need it–the youth of the CNMI!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Almost daily one of you is retiring from government work after reaching the number of required years. For many of you who have labored hard and long especially at a job that you didn\u2019t really enjoy, retirement must be a blessing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47142"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47142\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}