为什么你不应该退休？ | 经济学人商业
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思维导图作者：
琚儿，女，QE在职，梦想能仗翻译/音乐/健康走天涯
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Business | Bartleby
商业 | 巴托比
英文部分选自经济学人20230127期商业板块
Business | Bartleby
商业 | 巴托比
Why you should never retire
为什么你不应该退休
Pleasure cruises, golf and tracing the family tree are not that fulfilling
纵享游轮时光、打高尔夫和研究家族历史并不能带来真正的满足感
In an episodeof “The Sopranos”, a popular television series which started airing in the 1990s, a gangster tells Tony, from the titular family, that he wants to retire. “What are you, a hockey player?” Tony snaps back. Non-fictional non-criminals who are considering an end to their working lives need not worry about broken fingers or other bodily harm. But they must still contend with other potentially painful losses: of income, purpose or, most poignantly, relevance.
上世纪90年代播出的电视剧《黑道家族》（The Sopranos）有一集中黑帮小弟想退休，老大托尼回怼道：“啥？你当你是曲棍球运动员吗？”对于现实世界中的守法公民来说，退休虽无须担心断指之类的人身伤害，但仍不得不面对其他潜在的痛感问题，比如收入减少、目标感降低，而最为扎心的要数丧失存在感。
Some simply won’t quit. Giorgio Armani refuses to relinquish his role as chief executive of his fashion house at the age of 89. Being Italy’s second-richest man has not dampened his work ethic. Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett’s sidekick at Berkshire Hathaway, worked for the investment powerhouse until he died late last year at the age of 99. Mr Buffett himself is going strong at 93.
有些人根本不会退休。89岁高龄的乔治·阿玛尼（Giorgio Armani）仍坚持出任自己时尚品牌的CEO，尽管已经是意大利第二大富豪，他对工作的热情不减。沃伦·巴菲特（Warren Buffett）的搭档查理·芒格（Charlie Munger）在伯克希尔·哈撒韦公司（Berkshire Hathaway）一直工作到去年年底去世，享年99岁。而93岁高龄的巴菲特本人状态依旧能打。
People like Messrs Armani, Buffett or Munger are exceptional. But in remaining professionally active into what would historically be considered dotage, they are not unique. One poll this year found that almost one in three Americans say they may never retire. The majority of the nevers said they could not afford to give up a full-time job, especially when inflation was eating into an already measly Social Security cheque. But suppose you are one of the lucky ones who can choose to step aside. Should you do it?
像阿玛尼、巴菲特或芒格先生这些精英确实是少数，但除了他们，仍然有不少人愿意在以前看来很大的年纪上继续工作。今年的一项调查发现，几乎三分之一的美国人都表示他们可能永远不会退休。其中绝大多数人称，他们不能丢掉全职工作，尤其是在通胀猛烈，本已微薄的社保金在不断缩水的环境下。但假如你是能够选择退休的幸运儿，你会这么做吗吗？
The arc of corporate life used to be predictable. You made your way up the career ladder, acquiring more prestige and bigger salaries at every step. Then, in your early 60s, there was a Friday-afternoon retirement party, maybe a gold watch, and that was that. The next day the world of meetings, objectives, tasks and other busyness faded. If you were moderately restless, you could play bridge or help out with the grandchildren. If you weren’t, there were crossword puzzles,TV and a blanket.
以前一个人的职业发展路径是可以预见的。随着人们在职场的步步走高，福利和收入都会随之增长。然后，在60岁出头的某一个星期五下午，你迎来退休仪式，还有可能收到一只金表，一切就此戛然而止。第二天，所有会议、目标、任务和琐碎忙碌便从生活中退场。如果你还干得动，还可以打打桥牌或者帮忙带带孙辈。如果你状态不行，生活就是玩玩填字游戏、裹着毛毯看看电视。
Although intellectual stimulation tends to keep depression and cognitive impairment at bay, many professionals in the technology sector retire at the earliest recommended date to make space for the younger generation, conceding it would be unrealistic to maintain their edge in the field. Still, to step down means to leave centre stage—leisure gives you all the time in the world but tends to marginalise you as you are no longer in the game.
尽管动脑能预防抑郁和认知功能障碍，但由于无法在业内一直保持巅峰状态，很多科技行业的专业人士都在最早的退休年纪退休给年轻一代让位。然而，退下来意味着离开中心舞台——闲下来意味着你有大把的时间可以支配，但同时也因为你的退出你就被边缘化了。
Things have changed. Lifespans are getting longer. It is true that although the post-retirement, twilight years are stretching, they do not have to lead to boredom or to a life devoid of meaning. Once you retire after 32 years as a lawyer atthe World Bank, you can begin to split your time between photography and scrounging flea markets for a collection of Americana. You don’t have to miss your job or suffer from a lack of purpose. If you are no longer head of the hospital, you can join Médecins Sans Frontières for occasional stints, teach or help out at your local clinic. Self-worth and personal growth can derive from many places, including non-profit work or mentoring others on how to set up a business.
现在情况不同了。现在人们寿命越来越长。尽管退休后的暮年时光在延长，但并不一定会无聊或者丧失生活的意义。设想一下，你在世界银行做了32年律师，退休后可以花时间摄影、逛跳蚤市场收藏美国文物。这样就不会怀念工作的时光，也不会觉得自己的生活没有意义。如果你不再担任医院的领导，还可以加入无国界医生组织（Médecins Sans Frontières偶尔在社区诊所教学或者帮忙），继续发光发热。自我价值和个人成长可以通过很多方式获取，比如参与非盈利工作或者指导别人创业。
But can anything truly replace the framework and buzz of being part of the action? You can have a packed diary devoid ofdeadlines, meetings and spreadsheets and flourish as a consumer of theatre matinees, art exhibitions and badminton lessons. Hobbies are all well and good for many. But for the extremely driven, they can feel pointless and even slightly embarrassing.
但是，有什么能够真正代替过去繁忙生活的框架和兴奋感呢？你可以日程安排得满满当当，没有各种截止日期、会议和电子表格，而是忙于观看戏剧日场、参观艺术展览和上羽毛球课。对许多人来说，投入到爱好之中就够了。但对于那些极度进取的人，他们会觉得（只有爱好）缺乏意义感，甚至感到有点难堪。
注释：
1.If something gives you a buzz, it makes you feel very happy or excited for a short time.（短暂的）快乐，兴奋
2.If you say that someone or something is devoid of a quality or thing, you are emphasizing that they have none of it.毫无…的;没有…的
3.all well and good: quite good but not exactly what is wanted好倒是好（但并不完全合乎心意）
4.flourish: to grow well; to be healthy and happy.健康快乐
5.driven: so determined to achieve something or be successful that all of their behaviour is directed towards this aim发奋图强的
That is because there is depth in being useful. And excitement, even in significantly lower doses than are typical earlier in a career, can act as an anti-ageing serum. Whenever Mr Armani is told to retire and enjoy the fruits of his labour, he replies “absolutely not”. Instead he is clearly energised by being involved in the running of the business day to day, signing off on every design, document and figure.
这是因为“有用”也是有程度深浅的。兴奋感能起到抗衰老的作用，哪怕（由工作带来的）兴奋程度远低于职业生涯早期的兴奋水平。每当有人建议阿玛尼先生退休，享受劳动成果时，他总是回答“绝对不退”。相反，每天参与企业的日常运营，对每一个设计、文件和数字签字批复，显然让他感到充满活力。
In “Seinfeld”, another television show of the 1990s, Jerry goes to visit his parents, middle-class Americans who moved to Florida when they retired, having dinner in the afternoon. “I’m not force-feeding myself a steak at 4.30 just to save a couple of bucks!” Jerry protests. When this guest Bartleby entered the job market, she assumed that when the day came she too would be a pensioner in a pastel-coloured shirt opting for the “early-bird special”. A quarter of a century on, your 48-year-old columnist hopes to be writing forThe Economist decades from now, even if she trundles to her interviews supported by a Zimmer frame; Mr Seinfeld is still going strong at 69, after all. But ask her again in 21 years.
在20世纪90年代的另一部电视剧《宋飞正传》（Seinfeld）中，杰瑞去看望他的父母，在下午就去吃晚餐。他的父母是美国中产阶级，退休后搬到佛罗里达州。杰瑞不满地说：“我是不会为了省几块钱就强行在四点半吃牛排的！”初入职场时，笔者这个巴托比专栏的特约撰稿人也曾以为有朝一日，自己会领着养老金、穿着淡色衬衫、选择享受“早鸟特惠”。25年过去了，48岁的专栏作家希望几十年后还能为《经济学人》撰稿，即使她只能依靠助行架支撑着参加采访。毕竟，宋飞69岁的时候还身强体壮呢。不过，请再过21年后问她吧。
注释：
The idiom "early bird special" refers to a discounted price offered for goods or services that are purchased earlier than usual or outside of peak hours. This term often relates to deals at restaurants, events, or sales that incentivize consumers to patronize establishments during off-peak times.早鸟特惠
翻译组：
zy，当下快乐就是意义
Ryan，译海徜徉的一条咸鱼
Alfredo，男，真实主义歌剧发烧友
Lucian，灵魂在杰作中冒险
Dodo，愿识乾坤大、犹怜草木青的同传Dodo
Rachel，学理工科，爱跳芭蕾，热爱文艺的非典型翻译
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观点|评论|思考
本周感想
Very，男，电气民工，经济学人资浅爱好者
初看这个主题时，我内心是激动的，因为有太多的话想说。但在码了n页之后，突然发现，所有的讨论都有一个共同的开始：ta要延迟退休。我不禁吓出一身冷汗。
如今社会上有一种现象，其本质和延迟退休非常类似：考研读博。社会的事物并非像自然界一样，并没有一种固定周期的死生轮回。虽然生词轮回同样存在，但是周期却是不固定的，有长有短（当然把时间线拉长到足够久之后，周期也几乎是固定的）。对于个体而言，显然无法去讨论一种长周期下的规律，这对于个体毫无意义，所以它们就会简单追求一种在其自身生命周期内的最大化，譬如尽可能地在某种权力区域内盘踞。社会并不会有一种类似天谴的规律去限制或惩罚这种行为（这句话本身也是矛盾的，天谴代表了自然），所以这种行为往往会带来多米诺效应，使得整个社会应有的变化停滞了。这种变化显然是痛苦的。首先，一代或者几代人的上升空间消失了，人存在的理由不再存在。人们会变得迷茫，需要重新寻找活着的意义（事实上也并不存在）。其次，社会的更新、代谢也停滞了，社会不再以优胜劣汰的方式在筛选和调节自身，病毒和细菌在社会上肆无忌惮地生存着。再者，社会上奉行的价值观动摇，社会的组成不断怀疑自我和社会。最后，社会被迫自我革命。
在现有的条件下，我只能初步简单推演社会的变化，再深一点的几乎无从讨论。但有一点我深信无疑：从长远来看，社会和自然一样，都有着超强的净化能力，我们无需为其担心，区别只是在于：我们是生活在哪个阶段。
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愿景
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