Pension & Old Age

Life expectancy in Ancient Rome was 35 years… in other words, old age is very relative. A big difference between Rome and our contemporary time is this idea that we are going to drop-out of society when we reach a certain age.

Needless to say, our current pension system is not even remotely sustainable (macro-economically) nor is it healthy for the retired (high suicide rate)… i.e. a system with no merit. 

Guiding Principles:

Postponing Retirement

  • Make age of retirement congruent with life expectancy
  • Prepare the ageing for lower-intensity work
    • Start career transition planning around 60 yo
  • Enable semiretired status: part-time and flexi-time work
  • Old folks would be great in kindergarten and education
  • Penalize unwarranted age-discrimination in recruitment
  • More fully utilize the experience old people have

 

Retirement Savings

  • Use hedging instruments in retirement portfolios
  • Make it easier for self-employed to save for retirement

 

Taking Care of Dependents

  • Replace the self-respect destroying type of charity 
  • Transition from social safety-nets to safety-trampolines
  • Offer support to those permanently retired due to age

Dying

  • Discontinue non-palliative care in cases of chronic and irreversible diseases and disorders
    • Accept the inevitability of death
    • Give people a dignified death
    • Accept reality of resource scarcity

 

Death

  • Make organ and scientific donation default upon death
  • Consider making cremation default, since slow decay of the body is undignified, and speedily becoming archaic
    • Popularize noble practices like scattering and memorial tree/plant/reef urns
  • Discourage predatory practices by funeral companies
  • Develop vertical columbarium’s (cemeteries)