Old Folks are Adviced to Keep Working. But How?

In last Sunday's issue of the Panorama Magazine, Beth Day Romulo's column featured Primer Minister Lee Kwan Yew. According to Mr. Yew, the elderly should not retire. He sites that apart from regular exercise, proper diet, and all the other musts for keeping a long, healthy life, having a job makes one productive and keeps one's mind functioning.

That's fine and, honestly, I find it to be of value. However, in the Philippines, that easier said than done. In here, age is one of the best assets to finding a job. When you're over 35, the chance of finding work diminishes faster than you age. The government itself lets everyone stop working through a mandatory retirement at age 65.

I agree with Mr. Yew. When anyone stops working, his brain becomes accustomed to it and thus becomes sluggish. When the brain is sluggish, all bodily functions become sluggish with it. But the body, in order to be in tip top shape, has to maintain the a normal level of functioning. It's like when you oversleep and become sleepy the whole day despite of it. Lesson learned from an 85-year old man.