Why you'll never solve the problem of retirement
Bob Hawke was my first PM. The first PM I can remember, anyway. And I still remember sitting on my parent’s crappy couch (before Dad moved out) watching Hawke on my parent’s crappy four colour TV tell me (and the rest of the nation) that “By 1990, no Australian child will be living in poverty.”
My eight-year-old brain was inspired by Hawke’s vision, confidence and conviction, never knowing until years later that he’d really misspoken… that he’d meant to say, “no Australian child NEED live in poverty.”
And almost 30 years later, over 700,000 children are living in poverty (according to my quick Dr Google research).
Whether he meant to say it or not, Hawke’s bold declaration was always an unattainable goal. We can’t solve childhood poverty, after all. It’s a ‘wicked’ problem, meaning it can’t be defined, let alone solved. It comprises too many economic, social, intergenerational and other environmental factors at play. It’s messy and confusing and beyond the comprehension of any one person, even the PM.
But that doesn’t mean we ignore childhood poverty and other wicked problems.
We do have the power to make them better or worse.
Retirement is another example.
I think retirement is a wicked problem because it comprises too many factors for any one person to comprehend… money, relationships, health, well-being, connection, belonging, purpose, meaning, routine, structure, and so on.
You’ll never solve it. Rather, you’ll only make it better or worse.
So don’t hope for the problem-free retirement. Perhaps channel Hawke’s vision, confidence, and conviction instead. See where that takes you.
Perhaps to the front door of my Retirement Coaching Asylum: