This article smacks ckearky of government propaganda!
Intent on psyching us all into Padi-field Cows that ploughs the
fields till they die...!!!
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Don't let fake study go to your HEAD
Net report that early retirement leads to longer life is a
hoax
By Leong Ching
September 26, 2007
THE 'study' sounds logical and is seductive - quit earlier, live
longer.
Reason: Less stress.
A complex title and a string of academic qualifications after the
authors' name seemed to add credibility.
But Optimum Strategies for Creativity and Longevity by Sing Lin,
who has a PhD, is a hoax that has lasted long and travelled
well.
It emerged again on Sunday, forcing no less than Prime Minister Lee
Hsien Loong to expose the hoax in his dialogue with 500 grassroots
leaders.
The 'study' was cited by a member of the audience to question the
wisdom of delaying retirement.
The 'study', which claims to have been conducted on Boeing
employees, is illustrated with a chart showing that people who
retired at the age of 50 had an average life span of 86.
People who retire at 65 lived only till 66.
'An important conclusion from this study is that for every year one
works beyond age 55, one loses two years of life span on average,'
it said.
At the dialogue, PM Lee was quick to debunk the myth. 'I can tell
you for sure that it is not true... there is no such study. It's a
hoax.'
Ms Cham Hui Fong, NTUC's director of industrial relations, read it
with amusement.
'It was a practical joke which has been circulating for many years!
Somehow, many tend to believe that if you retire and relax, you
will live longer.
'It does not and cannot mean that if one does not work at all, he
will live forever.'
Ms Cham has been in the labour movement for 16 years and is not
easily taken in by such surveys.
She was nominated to be an MP by the union movement and is known
for her fiery speeches as an NMP.
CONVINCING LOGIC
But, for the ordinary man, there is a beguiling logic to the
arguments of the fake study.
It said: 'If you are not able to get out of the pressure cooker or
the high-speed battleground at the age of 55, and 'have' to keep on
working hard until the age of 65 or older, then you probably will
die within 18 months of retirement.
'By working very hard in the pressure cooker for 10 more years
beyond the age of 55, you give up at least 20 years of your life
span on average.'
Stress has been blamed for a wide range of health problems - from
ulcers to cancers.
Instinctively, people feel that they will lead a 'better life' if
they did not have to wake up to a high-stress job every
morning.
That dream scenario would have been a life like Mr Gerard Ee's when
he retired young - at 56.
But that retirement lasted two weeks. He returned to 'work' - but
without a salary.
The former accountant from Ernst & Young was appointed the
chairman of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) at its lowest
point when its former CEO TT Durai stepped down in July 2005.
Today, he still oversees the now-thriving NKF and also chairs The
Third Age, an organisation for seniors.
'My retirement from E&Y was purely contractual,' he said.
'After 30 years as a practising accountant, it was time to move on
and do other things. Thus, retirement is not 'stopping' and
certainly not ceasing to 'live' to one's fullest.'
But not many people have the luxury of stepping out of the
corporate life like him.
Would workers have a better life if they took a job with less
stress, with a smaller title and smaller pay?
Mr Ee said: 'This is a major issue and will remain one until people
adopt the paradigms of the 21st century. It is not the title but
rather what is it that you have - a competitive advantage - over
others.'
You are paid according to the value you produce.
Mr Ee pointed out: 'A brilliant 70-year-old who can produce
millions in profit in equity trade will be paid accordingly and be
in great demand by the fund managers.
'A 40-year-old engineer who has not kept up to date with the latest
processes will be paid yesterday's wages and be easily replaced by
the younger engineer who is more up to date.'
The accountant in him said: 'It is a simple formula - no one gets
paid for nothing. Thus, first determine how much money you want or
need - then there is a price to pay.'
The price, he said, could be in different ways - less time with the
family, more stress at work, and for the unfortunate few, poorer
physical health.
Perhaps the best thing the 'Boeing hoax' can teach us is that while
the facts are wrong, the principle of work-life balance is an
important one.
Ms Cham said: '(This applies) not just to older workers but
everyone. The older ones will probably appreciate a better balance
after spending so much time at work.
'But to retire totally can be trying for some who prefer to phase
in gradual retirement.'