Leisure: The Illness of Idleness

The vast majority of private employers require their workers to retire no later than age 65, supposedly to enjoy the sunset years of life in carefree leisure. Many firms now offer optional retirement at 62 or 60 (some demand it), or even as early as 50. Is this good? "No," said Manhattan's Dr. Irving S. Wright at last week's Houston meeting of the American Medical Association. Relatively few retired men are able to turn a former hobby or avocation into a new vocation and, in effect, start a new career to fill their lives. For the majority, early retirement...

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