Morally obliged to volunteer if retired?

[notnownorma]

Just that, really. If one has no grandchildren to care for, is one morally obliged to give something back to the community if no longer working and in good health? If so, how much time is "enough"?

Inspired by a conversation I recently had with someone thinking of retiring soon.

I wondered how long it would take for it to turn into a Tory voter bashing post.
I for one wouldnt vote for a party whose supporters death threats towards one of their OWN MPs left her in fear of her life?
And you call the Tory party the nasty party?

Another thought - how many of us are put off volunteering by the wokery? I always thought I would volunteer with Girl Guiding as my own experiences as a brownie and guide as a child were transformative.

But, as I believe males don't belong in what should be single-sex spaces, that's out of the question now.

I like to do it while I still can but some volunteers are very poorly treated and taken for granted - subject to internal politics and increasing demands.

Some individual clients or service users (or whatever you are suppose to call them) are CFs.

Lots of people I know volunteer if they don't have children, and the younger ones have to be told not to let individual people demand too much of them.

Working from 16 years old. 45 years NHS full time without a break in service, doing at least 5 hours unpaid overtime most weeks, doing a mentally and physically draining job I do not owe anything to society or my community so would only do voluntary work IF I wanted to do so. I deserve to do as little or as much in retirement as I want and not feel morally obliged to volunteer for anything.

I do lots of voluntary work, always have done. However I do wonder if it's time for everyone to down tools and show the richest of society and the government how it is hard working people and volunteers that keep things going. The problem is of course that the poor and elderly will suffer the most.

There's no obligation at all. I think I would like to, but it would depend on many factors such as my health and other demands on my time. As it is, I am only 46 now so way off retirement and no idea what my circumstances will be.

@feellikeanalien

My mum was volunteering and teaching English to refugees up to a few days before she died at the age of 87.

Sounds like your Mum was a wonderful woman. Very inspiring.

Which people? Nice swipe at Labour voters. Where's the evidence that it's Labour voters who don't want to volunteer....

Anyway the point about being a Labour voter is that you believe the state should provide essential services, so there isn't a postcode lottery relying on people's willingness to volunteer. I've volunteered for a number of years btw, as well as paid loads of tax.

I'm retired and I volunteer. It's a selfish thing on my part. I get to meet people, I get a buzz from achieving something that helps someone, and I've made friends among my fellow volunteers.

When people thank me I feel awkward about it, because it's not a selfless act.

Other people get the same pleasure and connection with people via their hobbies, instead. And that's good too.

There is no moral imperative for anyone, whatever their age, to volunteer. It's nice when they do, and I'd encourage people to. But that's all.

You can't police those who happen to be supporters of yours. But you can have policies that aren't deliberately set up to reward those who already have more than enough and to neglect those in need.

That's why they're the nasty party.

They're not acting the martyr. How unkind. They simply don't want to see essential services run down or diminish due to lack of volunteers.

I'd focus much more on not taking, rather than giving.

Growing your own veg, doing things in a sustainable, but slower way.

I think that's a lot better for your health, mental and physical, than martyring yourself and shoring up what should be paid roles with your free labour.

But they're not paying people to do the work so ordinary citizens have to step in.

I really hate the way some people speak dismissively if volunteers as 'martyrs'.

Said no man!

What debt?

I've worked full time since I was 21 and paid a fortune in tax and NI and saved my personal pension. I will retire soon, in my 50's, but I've bloody earned the right to do it and the money to pay for it.

Who do I owe exactly?

No

I don't think there's a moral obligation if you have paid your taxes all your life - and may well still be paying taxes.

However, without volunteers, a lot of things would not happen and it's not always someone else's job. It's everyone's to pitch in every so often. I am sure most people can find something they like doing, and can do, even if it's not very often. As an example, just going and marshaling at your local parkrun once a month or even twice a year. It doesn't have to be full on. People also need to remember that there is often a cost to volunteering, mainly petrol/transport costs. That usually isn't refunded.

20 hours a week is ridiculous. 20 hours a year, maybe.

Surely it's not volunteering if you are obliged to do it. I'd say it's a lovely thing to do but nobody should be expected to volunteer

No moral obligation, of course not! But I'd suggest to anyone retired that they find something that keeps them busy and gets them out of the house. Volunteering might be that thing, or a hobby or even a part time job.

I've seen the way my FIL has gone, who apparently retired at 50 on a final salary pension scheme and has now had 25 years of relaxing retirement. What a waste of a life, sitting in a chair, day after day. He only started work at 24 as well, so he's had more than 2/3 of his life not working. So taking it the opposite way around, I get irked when he suggests that its my moral obligation as a taxpayer to look after him because he's a pensioner!

After a lifetime working, paying tax, contributing to the good of society, I don’t think that come retirement, there are any outstanding ‘moral’ obligations. And it’s a pretty authoritarian notion.

Volunteering is gifting your time. There should be no moral obligation to gift anything, be that your time, money, blood etc.

This talk of "paying back to society" sounds like something people convicted of low level crime have to do. It is not a crime to be retired and have time on your hands.

'pensioners on final salary schemes retiring in their 50s then just enjoying life at our expense, they're the ones who ought to be made to do unpaid work.'

You mean like police officers who spend 30 years or more risking being stabbed or worse, while paying 11% contributions into their pension pots...? Those sorts of pensioners! 🤔

Do some research OP, you are just making yourself look ignorant.

For the people who are saying yes we should be obligated to volunteer when we retire, come back and say that after you have finished your 50yrs of working.

sitting on your arse doing nothing

My job is very physical....sitting on my arse doing nothing is exactly what I plan to do when I retire.

The poster who began this political dialogue was sniping at Labour supporters.