The website name “Retired Thinker” was not intended to conjure up images of retired philosophy professors, sitting back in chairs, smoking pipes, pondering and harumphing. While you may find the occasional post about philosophy on the site, or navel-contemplating posts like this one, that is not the primary focus.
The name was intended to inspire images of retired folks keeping their brains active and healthy by exploring new ideas and learning new skills.
On “Retired Thinker” you will find content intended to inspire you to occupy your brain by exploring various topics and ideas. Or to remind you of something you’ve always wondered about, but now finally have the time to explore. This content includes write-ups of projects undertaken by the contributors to learn and explore various areas or interests. This website itself originated as one such project: to become more familiar with web technology.
The Curious Retiree
Perhaps a name like “The Curious Retiree” would have worked for this site, but that doesn’t roll off the tongue as well. It is also a somewhat unfortunate double entendre.
I remember one of my professors in grad school saying something like: some young children go through a phase where they ask “Why?”, and when they get an answer, they just ask “Why?” again, over and over. Eventually most parents shut that down because it gets annoying. But children who never grew out of that phase grow up to be scientists.
I remembered this comment because it seemed to explain my mentality pretty well. I have retained child-like curiosity into adulthood, and now into my retirement.
I submit that retirement is a good time to re-indulge or re-awaken this child-like curiosity. You can ask Google or AI “Why?” a large number of times and it doesn’t get annoyed with you. I think that my curiosity and sense of wonder at the universe might carry me through a happy retirement. Our hope is that this site can help inspire the same in others.
Current STEM Focus
You might say, “That’s all fine, but why the emphasis on STEM topics on the site? I am much more interested in learning how to play bridge during retirement, and that certainly requires thinking!”. To which we might answer, “Fantastic! That is a wonderful way to keep your brain active! Plus it has great social aspects! Would you like to contribute posts about learning how to play bridge?”.
A vast number of retirement pursuits like bridge, painting, writing, auto mechanics, etc etc would be suitable topics for posts on this site. I can see myself making future posts about my music hobby, which is not something generally considered a “thinking person’s” pursuit, yet obviously still requires brain engagement, albeit perhaps in a slightly different direction.
It just so happens that the initial contributors to this site are STEM folks that never got burnt out on technology or science during their careers, and so continued pursuing and posting about STEM-related things in retirement.
To me, this seems no different than a craftsman (or woman) who has worked with their hands (and also their mind!) during their career in, say, carpentry, and who then in retirement sets up and spends time in a woodworking shop of their own. It’s what you know, what you are good at, and what you want to continue doing, but perhaps now doing it on your own terms.
There is an additional nuance, at least in my case. During my retirement, I am not really motivated to do exactly the same kind of coding in exactly the same areas using exactly the same tools. Instead I want to explore different yet still related areas, where I still have much to learn, but yet I can still leverage my skills and strengths. It’s like the carpenter who perhaps built kitchen cabinets during their career, but during retirement takes up building birdhouses instead.
In short, the current focus on STEM topics might well be temporary. If you would like to contribute posts about other brain-forward retirement pursuits, drop us an email!
What’s your Occupation?
If you are retired and need to enter something under “Occupation?” when filling out a form, just entering “Retired” will get you by. But if you read “Occupation?” as “What do you do to occupy your time?”, then just saying “Retired” seems like a non-answer. You must still be doing things to occupy your time in retirement. Not doing so is the road to retirement ruin. This site is all about having a TL;DR answer to the “Occupation?” question.
In my case, and maybe in the case of others out there, my new “Occupation?” is learning, building, indulging a sense of wonder, and satisfying curiosity. Along with a healthy mix of relaxing on beaches, I hope.
