GROWING old is not easy, especially when you have worked hard for your children and the state. In the case of children it is even more painful, considering the sacrifice that one has to endure to provide food, clothing, shelter and a proper education for your children.
In most cases, it is belt-tightening and staying without, to ensure the children have and going hungry if necessary, not buying clothes for yourself depriving yourself of that well-deserved holiday abroad, just to ensure that the children’s needs come first.
In addition, you may have to support other family members inclusive of close friends. The pay or earnings seldom come easy, but in your mind you do what you think you must do, based on your upbringing.
Then, after all these family commitments, you try to get out of rental and may be fortunate to build your own home, pay your utilities, buy yourself a vehicle, furnish your home and give love to all around you.
The state, in the meantime, collects their taxes and all professional services come at a cost — not forgetting the occasional medical checkup — and in so doing you spend the better part of fifty or so years trying to survive the times and life in general.
The reality hits you when you have retired or reached beyond the age of sixty five. No more life insurance available. Can’t acquire a loan for home repairs. And God forbid you have a medical condition. All your children have grown up and moved on with their lives, all the friends you spent money on having fun all seem to drift away and death is waiting in the wings.
You still have life, you need to eat, you still have other rightful needs, your mental faculties are still functional but you are neglected by your own children and family, and the state offers no supportive means.
This is the time you may need the most help because your needs become more acute, but life becomes so stressful and complicated as well as lonely and you become frustrated.
You then reflect and try to remember all the good you have done, and question if you should have done more for you than all the people you helped, including your employers, as a good slave is only loved if you can work and remain enslaved.
Getting back from your contributions seems impossible and some hope you would die a quick death so they will not have to deal with your issues, and if by chance you have left any property or materials behind, they try desperately to acquire them — amen.
It is often said by those with deep regrets in life that ‘Life is a bitch.’ But what then will we call Death?
Yes, Death is a must. But as we grow older and pass the tests of time, we find that in these times especially, the systems kills you before your appointed hour.
And all we’re expected to say is: That’s life!
We in st lucia dont live that long. so lets face it NIS at 65 is a huge rip-off when u have goverment workers living work at 55 which is still relatively young. the politicians must push to make the change to NIS at 60. getting NIS at 65 means that after paying in from 18 for some, if you lucky u only draw back the money they owe you for 5 years until 70 as many dont live past that. this 65 nonsense must change. you cannot have such a huge gap of 10 years between people entitled to state pension and those entitled to NIS. u must either add 3 more years to the current 55 and make them work until 58. but NIS must be put at 60.