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.

This is what puts me off.

If they are under state pension age and are using pension they have earned through working, then what expense is that to you?

@Dotjones

Retiring in your 60's is hardly young!

I've worked since I was a teenager.

Also of the generation expecting to retire at 60 till they moved the goalposts..

I retired last year and after being a solo parent - still am of course though he's an adult now, working - some of it voluntary - and taking care of aging parents until their death I think I'm entitled to some time off finally.

I may get back into volunteering next year, who knows.

Eh no. I know lots of people with full lives who still volunteer. Bit of ignorant stereotyping going on there.

If people don't want to volunteer that's up to them. But sneering at people who do and calling them martyrs ir lonely people with nothing else to do is not only inaccurate, it's petty and nasty.

No, of course not.

@Dotjones You have really not understood retirement schemes. Maybe activate your brain before posting.

Of course volunteering is not just done by people who are lonely.

I don't understand this bit:-

"The problem is pensioners on final salary schemes retiring in their 50s then just enjoying life at our expense".
Can you please explain how you have contributed to my private pension. If you have I'm ever so grateful but just to let you know that the company never told me anything, I'm wondering whether they pocketed the money rather than put it into the pot of money that I'd been accumulating for 42 years.

Sorry OP, I apologise if I mis-attributed a quote.

I have family members who are all public sector pensioners (healthcare, teaching, local govt) and there's not a gold plated pension in sight.

My retired police officer friend works in a Tesco warehouse to supplement his pension.

I do get fed up of this ageist ill-informed nonsense.

The problem is 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.

God forbid anyone actual enjoys their life. If they do, let's strike them down. Feel sorry for anyone with such a sour attitude. Must be tiring being full of such bile.

Child free people obligation to volunteer

Does this include unemployed people too, after they have completed their 30 hours of compulsory job applications

Why single out retired people ?

Well I don't mind admitting that I started volunteering at least partly to meet new people. Having moved to where I live for work, most of my friends are people I met there, and the vast majority of them are still working, as is my husband.
I still have my pre retirement friends and hobbies but I now have a large amount of time when they are not accessible to me and it does get lonely during the day sometimes. So I set out to make new friends who are around during the day and discovered that there is a whole range of stuff going on in our community that I was unaware of and couldn't participate in before because I was at work.
So yes, I was lonely and I went out and did something about it. I don't think that is anything to be ashamed of, especially as I am benefitting other people along the way.

Thank you AutumnalLeaves38. She was and I really miss her.

Before she gave up driving she used to take some "old ladies" to church every Sunday. I think some of them were 10 years younger than her.😁

If I live long enough to retire (no joke, the jury's out on that due to medical conditions and the medication I have to take in order to function) and can actually afford to retire (also not guaranteed at all), I think I might volunteer - however, it won't be doing something for which they should be paying somebody a decent wage, it won't be at my physical, mental or financial cost and it'll be more for my benefit than anything else.

I volunteered when I was unable to work through illness, as I wasn't dependent upon it to make ends meet, it gave me great experiences, daft stories, it kept my brain ticking over nicely - and I felt better for doing it compared to just existing. If anybody had told me that I owed it to society to work for free, they'd have been told to take a running jump, same way when I was told I should offer to work another 5 hours a week and forego my legal entitlement of a break during the day for free at one incredibly poorly paid job 'as part of Our Duty of Service'. Bollocks to that.

On my terms, when I want to, what I want to and only IF I want to. That's volunteering.

I had not been retired 3 months before I started getting asked to do things as a volunteer. There's a real shortage. I have now got 3 volunteer roles, 4 if you include dog walking for a neighbour (but that's fun so I don't usually count it).
Most of what I do can be done at home, at any time, but there is a commitment to being on site once or twice a month. This suits me as I wouldn't want to go back to having a routine, I like my lazy mornings too much after years of getting up early for work.

I'm not retired, but I do volunteer as a school governor. I believe in giving back to our local community because the whole community depends on volunteers to keep it running. I recognise that some people aren't in a position to volunteer, which makes me personally feel a greater obligation to volunteer.

It isn't just because I can see that I've directly benefited from other volunteers that I believe in the importance of it, but my family has definitely benefited. In our village there are (probably not a complete list) :
Volunteers running the toddler group
Trustees of local charities - our playgroup, our community centre
Rainbow, brownie, scout etc leaders
Parish, district and county councillors
Volunteers who drive people to hospital
Volunteer local wardens who check on elderly people at home
Home start befrienders
PTA committee and event volunteers
People who maintain local woods & river
Litter pickers
Volunteers at school - listening to readers, walking kids to off-site activities.

That's just a village, there must be hundreds of people in our village volunteering and it really does make for a better community.

One of the lovely things about volunteering is that you can pick which of the many roles you'd like to do. You couldn't pay me enough to go to a school disco, but I really enjoy being a school governor and have gained skills from it.

Retired people who don't do volunteering and spend their time out to lunch, or at the theatre are also doing their bit in that they are keeping the local economy going - especially in small towns.

I work for a volunteer led organisation, and they simply don't appreciate how much of a commitment they're asking.

Half a day a week, during working hours, must travel to site, attend training for a week, have pretty strong IT skills, minimum commitment twelve months.

Then they have the sheer audacity to complain that retirees who apply aren't the right type of applicant.

The problem is 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

I am guessing this is a reference to those retiring on state funded pensions. I think they'll have to wait until they are 67 nowadays but of course until recently women could retire at 60, not in their 50s though. Unless they were in poor health, and then they probably wouldn't be in a position to volunteer anyway.

Volunteers do have social lives you know. They meet friends for lunch, go to the theatre, have coffee in the park, read books they bought in the local independent bookshop.

Everyone contributes to the local economy.

One of the lovely things about volunteering is that you can pick which of the many roles you'd like to do. You couldn't pay me enough to go to a school disco, but I really enjoy being a school governor and have gained skills from it

I agree, you can gain a lot from volunteering. While not relevant to the retired, if you are a SAHM who wants to rejoin the paid workforce at some point, being a school governor is really good. I was a school governor for eight years and I learnt a lot.

As I said above, you don't have to work 3 days a week for free in a charity shop, you can just turn up and marshal at your local parkrun once a month. It all helps to oil the wheels without being a massive commitment.

I think when you retire it's important to keep busy, doesn't have to be volunteering. Not doing much really ages retired people quickly, while keeping busy keeps them young from what I see

Mind you, this thread is a bit of a breath of fresh air. Normally it's the older generation saying "bring back national service" for those feckless youngsters (even though they didn't have to do it themselves and are too old to). Younger people telling the older generation to volunteer and do their bit for society isn't so unreasonable in that context!

See the Queen as an example - disregarding her privilege, keeping busy kept her fit in body and mind.