Do we actually retire?

How do you want to retire?

It seems to be quite a complex question for me at my particular age of human life. Right now it seems like there is no end in sight, it’s like watching the endless horizon and always having a feeling of curiosity and excitement of what is ahead.

However, I know it is inevitable, age happens to all of us and eventually one fine day like any other, I must retire. But that’s where another question arises, retire from what exactly and haven’t everyone been doing it throughout their lives. You see, when I started this journey of my life, career and profession weren’t the first thing on my mind, there were different things like when would I go out to play, the toys the cartoon shows, the love from family, my favourite candies and what not.

As I grew up further and got more involved with my school life, I retired from the previous phase of my childhood. Then, there was school, studies, homeworks, friends, sports, emerging hobbies and what not. Well school ended one day too and I retired from my school life. Then there was college, the beginning of a deeper understanding of this world and the initiation of what my professional life would be, and eventually I retired from that as well. Now, here I am in the present and from each phase of the life I retired from, I have carried some fragments with me to the present one.

So, do we actually retire in the entirety of things we know and do? Maybe not. There are a lot of things going on in my life at present, and much more than that in my mind, and I can say from what I realise, yes I will retire, maybe from a thing or two or four, but I will never truly retire from everything in my life.. That is until my last breath or till my brain continues on with its thoughts and reasons. Thus, my final retirement can very well be out of my hands, but I wouldn’t mind being in the presence of the people close to me.

– Anuran Chatterji