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Pope Benedict XVI made the tough, critical decision to relinquish his duties, but increasingly more people are working into their 70s, 80s and beyond.
As the pope can attest, even if you’re toiling in the cushiest of corner offices, 85 is not the new LX.
Pope Benedict XVI, who’s logged more than five years as pontiff, announced Monday he will relinquish the papacy at the end of the month. Benedict gave his waning strength as a reason to end his job-for-life, and said his aging body and mind couldn't keep pace with the demands of the globe-trotting role.
Despite the pontiff's decision, however, a rising number of people are staying on the job -- by choice or financial necessity -- well past age 75, at least in the U.S., according to doctors and federal labor figures.
Until he leaves the Vatican, Benedict remains part of an elite roster of 80-plusers still on the job in public roles. They include business magnates John Willard “Bill” Marriott, Jr. (80) and Warren Buffett (82), actors Robert Duvall (82) and Betty White (91), politicians Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J. (89), and Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., (86), and journalist Morley Safer (81).
And, at least on the front lines of the U.S. workforce, gray is increasingly the way.
In January, 1.5 million Americans aged 75 and above were employed -- the highest monthly total in at least 10 years, a 21 percent increase over January 2012 and nearly double the number workers from that demographic group who were punching a clock in 2003.
“You’re seeing it more often than you used to,” said Dr. Sarah McGee, a geriatrician at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. A small number of her patients have worked into their late 70s or 80s, and one man, into his 90s.
“Their health hasn’t precluded them from working. If you live to your 80s, you’re a survivor anyway,” McGee added. “That can be because you’ve done a good job of taking care of yourself, or because your parents or grandparents lived into their 90s, and you come from good stock.
As Catholics worldwide come to terms with the news that Pope Benedict XVI is abdicating his position, becoming the first pope to do so in more than 700 years, Georg Ratzinger, the pope's brother, says the aging process is impacting him "body and soul." NBC's Richard Engel reports.
Dr. Barbara J. Messinger-Rapport, head of the Center for Geriatric Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, also can count more of her patients drawing paychecks into their 80s simply because “people are living longer; they’re not dying in middle age from heart attacks or strokes due to better diets and medications and they often want to continue to work.”
Even for people who remain in relatively good health, their overall cognitive abilities -- including their brain’s processing speed -- naturally slows with age, with most folks achieving their quickest thinking around age 30 then plateauing throughout their 40s, Messinger-Rapport said.
“There may be episodic, short-term memory impairments” in advanced years, barring the onset of dementia or other brain diseases, she added. “However, creativity, judgment, long-term memory and organizational ability are maintained and can compensate for deficits in speed of processing.”
A person’s accumulated smarts also can raise their intellectual baseline so high that the eventual, age-related decline in some brain functions is far harder to measure or to see, McGee said.
“People who are more educated do better on these cognitive tests,” she added. “So to drop (their thinking skills) to a point where it’s going to be impacting their day-to-day living, they would have to drop a lot farther” than would others who don’t possess that kind of schooling or IQ.
Still, there's no escaping the fact that age can take a toll. Benedict may be the first pope to resign in more than 600 years, but as humans continue to push expected life spans to new heights while their joints, backs and brains strain to keep pace with the extra year, jobsonce thought to be 'til death -- monarch, Supreme Court justice, and, now, pope -- may be not so permanent.
In the Netherlands, Queen Beatrix, 75, said she plans to step down. In America’s highest court, 21 justices have retired since 1955, including John Paul Stevens, who was 90 when he left that role in 2010, according to The Associated Press.
In the private world, McGee has had several patients come to her with the age-old, agonizing question: Is it time for me to stop working?
In those few cases, the answers always were, but “they came to the decision themselves,” she said, usually because they could not drive any longer due to failing eyesight.
Benedict’s decision to abdicate his global duties and surrender his plush trappings came after he already had significantly scaled back his foreign travel -- a routine part of the job and done to sell the Roman Catholic faith to the masses. He also has reduced his audiences with visitors. Overall, his lighter daily load follows what many other older, high-powered workers do, trading, for example their chief executive roles for spots on the board of nonprofits or hospitals, geriatric experts said.
At St. Peter’s Basilica, Benedict has of late been riding on a moving platform instead of strolling about 100 yards to the altar.
Vatican spokesman Lombardi said he knows of no medical illness that prompted the decision, adding that the resignation was compelled by a "normal" deterioration of physical and mental strength that comes with old age, according to Catholic News Service.
Ironically, at his age and by Vatican rule, Benedict is five years too old to vote along with the College of Cardinals when they elect his successor. If the Catholic Church has deemed 80 to be the cutoff for having the proper mental faculties to make such a critical decision, what does say about the rest of us? How do we know, as well, when it’s time to leave the working world behind?
“I recommend that people cut back on either volunteer or paid jobs when they are unable to physically or cognitively manage them safely -- driving at night for a person with macular degeneration, for example, (or) climbing scaffolds for someone with a balance disorder or (who is) taking a blood thinner. If there is early dementia then that person should cut back on jobs that require handling money,” Messinger-Rapport said.
“But it is important for all adults to have meaningful activity, socialization, regular physical activity, and cognitive stimulation,” she added. “Many jobs provide that. And if working is in line with the patient’s financial and social goals then there may not be a reason to stop unless the job is too physically demanding.”
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Misleading headline. The Pope is celibate and isn't allowed to perform "the shocker".
Hello folks,
When it comes to bull@!$%#, big-time, major league bull@!$%#, you have to stand in awe of the all-time champion of false promises and exaggerated claims, religion. No contest. No contest. Religion. Religion easily has the greatest bull@!$%# story ever told. Think about it. Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time!
But He loves you. He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can't handle money! Religion takes in billions of dollars, they pay no taxes, and they always need a little more. Now, you talk about a good bull@!$%# story. Holy @!$%#!
But I want you to know something, this is sincere, I want you to know, when it comes to believing in God, I really tried. I really, really tried. I tried to believe that there is a God, who created each of us in His own image and likeness, loves us very much, and keeps a close eye on things. I really tried to believe that, but I gotta tell you, the longer you live, the more you look around, the more you realize, something is @!$%#ed up.
Something is wrong here. War, disease, death, destruction, hunger, filth, poverty, torture, crime, corruption, and the Ice Capades. Something is definitely wrong. This is not good work. If this is the best God can do, I am not impressed. Results like these do not belong on the résumé of a Supreme Being. This is the kind of @!$%# you'd expect from an office temp with a bad attitude. And just between you and me, in any decently-run universe, this guy would've been out on his all-powerful ass a long time ago. And by the way, I say "this guy", because I firmly believe, looking at these results, that if there is a God, it has to be a man.
No woman could or would ever @!$%# things up like this. So, if there is a God, I think most reasonable people might agree that he's at least incompetent, and maybe, just maybe, doesn't give a @!$%#. Doesn't give a @!$%#, which I admire in a person, and which would explain a lot of these bad results.
So rather than be just another mindless religious robot, mindlessly and aimlessly and blindly believing that all of this is in the hands of some spooky incompetent father figure who doesn't give a @!$%#, I decided to look around for something else to worship. Something I could really count on.
And immediately, I thought of the sun. Happened like that. Overnight I became a sun-worshipper. Well, not overnight, you can't see the sun at night. But first thing the next morning, I became a sun-worshipper. Several reasons. First of all, I can see the sun, okay? Unlike some other gods I could mention, I can actually see the sun. I'm big on that. If I can see something, I don't know, it kind of helps the credibility along, you know? So everyday I can see the sun, as it gives me everything I need; heat, light, food, flowers in the park, reflections on the lake, an occasional skin cancer, but hey. At least there are no crucifixions, and we're not setting people on fire simply because they don't agree with us.
Sun worship is fairly simple. There's no mystery, no miracles, no pageantry, no one asks for money, there are no songs to learn, and we don't have a special building where we all gather once a week to compare clothing. And the best thing about the sun, it never tells me I'm unworthy. Doesn't tell me I'm a bad person who needs to be saved. Hasn't said an unkind word. Treats me fine. So, I worship the sun. But, I don't pray to the sun. Know why? I wouldn't presume on our friendship. It's not polite.
I've often thought people treat God rather rudely, don't you? Asking trillions and trillions of prayers every day. Asking and pleading and begging for favors. Do this, gimme that, I need a new car, I want a better job. And most of this praying takes place on Sunday His day off. It's not nice. And it's no way to treat a friend.
But people do pray, and they pray for a lot of different things, you know, your sister needs an operation on her crotch, your brother was arrested for defecating in a mall. But most of all, you'd really like to @!$%# that hot little redhead down at the convenience store. You know, the one with the eyepatch and the clubfoot? Can you pray for that? I think you'd have to. And I say, fine. Pray for anything you want. Pray for anything, but what about the Divine Plan?
Remember that? The Divine Plan. Long time ago, God made a Divine Plan. Gave it a lot of thought, decided it was a good plan, put it into practice. And for billions and billions of years, the Divine Plan has been doing just fine. Now, you come along, and pray for something. Well suppose the thing you want isn't in God's Divine Plan? What do you want Him to do? Change His plan? Just for you? Doesn't it seem a little arrogant? It's a Divine Plan. What's the use of being God if every run-down shmuck with a two-dollar prayerbook can come along and @!$%# up Your Plan?
And here's something else, another problem you might have: Suppose your prayers aren't answered. What do you say? "Well, it's God's will." "Thy Will Be Done." Fine, but if it's God's will, and He's going to do what He wants to anyway, why the @!$%# bother praying in the first place? Seems like a big waste of time to me! Couldn't you just skip the praying part and go right to His Will? It's all very confusing.
So to get around a lot of this, I decided to worship the sun. But, as I said, I don't pray to the sun. You know who I pray to? Joe Pesci. Two reasons: First of all, I think he's a good actor, okay? To me, that counts. Second, he looks like a guy who can get things done. Joe Pesci doesn't @!$%# around. In fact, Joe Pesci came through on a couple of things that God was having trouble with.
For years I asked God to do something about my noisy neighbor with the barking dog, Joe Pesci straightened that @!$%# out with one visit. It's amazing what you can accomplish with a simple baseball bat.
So I've been praying to Joe for about a year now. And I noticed something. I noticed that all the prayers I used to offer to God, and all the prayers I now offer to Joe Pesci, are being answered at about the same 50% rate. Half the time I get what I want, half the time I don't. Same as God, 50-50. Same as the four-leaf clover and the horseshoe, the wishing well and the rabbit's foot, same as the Mojo Man, same as the Voodoo Lady who tells you your fortune by squeezing the goat's testicles, it's all the same: 50-50. So just pick your superstition, sit back, make a wish, and enjoy yourself.
And for those of you who look to The Bible for moral lessons and literary qualities, I might suggest a couple of other stories for you. You might want to look at the Three Little Pigs, that's a good one. Has a nice happy ending, I'm sure you'll like that. Then there's Little Red Riding Hood, although it does have that X-rated part where the Big Bad Wolf actually eats the grandmother. Which I didn't care for, by the way. And finally, I've always drawn a great deal of moral comfort from Humpty Dumpty. The part I like the best? "All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty Dumpty back together again." That's because there is no Humpty Dumpty, and there is no God. None, not one, no God, never was.
In fact, I'm gonna put it this way. If there is a God, may he strike this audience dead! See? Nothing happened. Nothing happened? Everybody's okay? All right, tell you what, I'll raise the stakes a little bit. If there is a God, may he strike me dead. See? Nothing happened, oh, wait, I've got a little cramp in my leg. And my balls hurt. Plus, I'm blind. I'm blind, oh, now I'm okay again, must have been Joe Pesci, huh? God Bless Joe Pesci. Thank you all very much. Joe Bless You!
Compliments of Mr. George Carlin. RIP
Blah, blah, blah, from another in-your-face atheist who's every bit as twisted as in your-face religious nut cases are. Poor, poor atheists, no place to "play" in the real world, so you come to the internet to insert YOUR beliefs into non-related stories, to spew your oh so superior "views" ( in 500 paragraphs, in your case) to give each other "up" votes, to mock those who don't think like you, and to negate the good that can be found in all kinds fellow humans while at the same time professing a respect for "humanity". I'll take a good religious person OR atheist over the likes of you as a neighbor any day. What a wordy, bore of a loser you are.
Good post Nikolaus20... you prove your point yourself in one brief paragraph. More power to you.
Bravo, Nikolaus20!
TrustVerify - "It is better to be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt." - Mark Twain.
Hello folks, sorry to rattle your fragile sensibilities. It's a persons right to believe in the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus or any other fictional character if they choose to. To be honest with you I was raised Roman Catholic and once I reached the age to reason I gladly escaped. It appears that the acceptance of pedophilia is the cost of salvation in the Catholic church.
Religion is just another method of controlling the masses all the while they steal your money and your children’s innocence. The sexual abuse that has been perpetrated by the Catholic Church on tens of thousands of innocent children is on a scale that lends itself so that even the casual observer has to wonder if it is an accepted ritual within the church. Many people come to the defense of the church stating that it is the celibate role that has lent itself to the wide spread abuse. If so, why are the majority of victims boys?
A study done by The National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect found that even though only 25% of citizens in the U.S. are Roman Catholic, 54% of the sexual abuse cases were perpetrated by Catholic priests. The church has paid at least 2.6 billion to settle sexual abuse cases. In 2007 alone the Los Angeles Archdiocese on July 15 announced the largest church settlement of sexual abuse lawsuits to date, agreeing to pay more than 500 alleged victims a total of $660 million. The abuse continues and the wealthy Vatican is easily able to cover these claims. The Vatican even has insurance policies to cover these operating costs.
The minor victims of priest abuse are overwhelmingly boys and teenagers, which is contrary to the pattern of abuse in the general population.
The problem is not just with the number of priests who molests young children, but in a Vatican power structure which harbors and conceals pedophiles, hides other sexual behavior patterns among its clerics and uses the strategies of duplicity and counterattack against the victims.
Why is it that in most countries the Catholic Church doesn’t have to abide by the same laws that apply to other pedophiles and rapists? And why don’t Catholics see this atrocity as an integral part of their church?
Pedophile priests have molested innocent children in the Roman Catholic Church probably since the beginning of the church. These pedophiles have been protected and their horrendous crimes against children have gone unpunished. It is amazing to me that there are over a billion Catholics. Like I said I guess acceptance of pedophilia in the church is the cost of salvation!
TrustVerify,
"To be honest with you I was raised Roman Catholic and once I reached the age to reason I gladly escaped."
"It is true, that a little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism; but depth in philosophy bringeth men’s minds about to religion." -- Francis Bacon
Maybe when you reached the age of reason, you didn't learn how to reason deeply enough.
Francis Bacon is from the age before science. Why don't you put up a more recent scholar, say Stephen Hawking?
Steve Herbert,
"Francis Bacon is from the age before science."
Science is not the end all of existence. It's only a tool and really just an outgrowth of philosophy itself. You would know that if you have ever read any books on the history of science. Science was once know as "natural philosophy", hence the title of Sir Isaac Newton's book on the laws of physics: The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy.
Mickey... You can take a modern course in Philosophy, such as presented by The Great Teachers in video format, if you don't wish to sit in a lecture hall. These lecturers, or a college course on philosophy at any major university will confirm, that "natural philosophy" is not science as it is construed to be in this day and age. No one is disputing that Newton's concepts of gravity didn't help get man to the moon, but his concepts of alchemy didn't get us to genetic engineering. Remember, Einstein's concept(s) of gravity which modern science accounts upon, encompasses Newton's thoughts, and provides other explanations Newton's time didn't consider. Modern medicine forensics didn't exist in Newton's day, and he's lucky he didn't die of the plague which was ravaging Europe when he pondered apples falling.
Mickey,
Until the industrial revolution religion dominated human life and science was primitive by today's standards.
Science has come a long way, and it has the explanation for almost everything.
Religion has not changed much in the last few hundred years.
Singularity is an event that will make a "Godspeak" religion completely obsolete.
Man is separated from God by the Big Bang, so any religion that is based upon the "Word of God" is a false religion.
If their is an afterlife, prove it.
Steve Herbert,
"You can take a modern course in Philosophy, such as presented by The Great Teachers in video format, if you don't wish to sit in a lecture hall."
Thank you, but I don't need to take a course in philosophy. I already have a B.A. in that subject. And yes, modern science is a direct outgrowth of what used to be known as "natural philosophy", i.e. the philosophy of nature. Aristotle was one of the first "scientists" in the history of Western civilization. He wrote treatises on biology, physics, astronomy, etc. It was all part of natural philosophy in his day and later became what we now call science. The difference came about as a result of the introduction of mathematics into natural philosophy along with the development of inductive logic rather than the deductive logic that philosophy primarily relies on.
Mickey... Good for you that you have a B.A., which is a Bachelor's of Art degree. A B.S. is a Bachelor's of Science degree. During the age of the Classical Greeks, and their multiple gods, Aristotle was just one of the many "few" literate enough as authors of ideas, to survive into modern literature. Homer was a Greek as well, but a modern navigator of the Aegean uses GPS satellite navigation to not go on the rocks like Ulysses, and be besieged by Cyclops and Sirens, but not go on the rocks like the cruise ship did to the loss of numerous passenger lives. This doesn't say the passengers didn't pray for salvation, and some who were saved may have been Catholic. But investigators of the collision are using modern science to figure it all out, not a copy of Homer's Odyssey.
The Pope wants to get out of Dodge before the heavy sh!t hits the fan. He and the Roman Church are so guilty of so many things it's best if he hides out.
Personally, I love seeing the Vatican coming apart. There is nothing Christ-like about the hierarchy.
Time to shut the scam down. Sell everything, withdraw the money from all accounts and do what Jesus would do, give it all away to the sick and poor.
And here is highlighted the biggest problem with religion: is it Truth or Lie? How many consider that it's truth, but not literal TRUTH, that is, a metaphor (a term which, unfortunately, many do not understand either)? Plenty of good lessons contained in all religions, but take any of them literally, and you've got a recipe for irrational and damaging behavior.
Of all the authors I've ever read regarding religion, no one makes more sense than Joseph Campbell who explains all this very well. I highly recommend "The Power of Myth," a transcript of his interviews with Bill Moyers.
the vatican made a rathere bizarre comment that the batteries had to be changed in the pope's pacemaker. Uhh, so freakin' what! Not sure what it was but a rather pathetic attempt to make the pope's "health" excuse for quitting seem a little more valid.
It's all in your genetics as to how long you can remain working. Some can work into the 80's and even 90's, but most have trouble working past lower 60's.
Pope's don't have to "work." All they have to do is be.
They make it sound so jolly - but these folks aren't trying to put food on the table, and a heck of a lot of advanced seniors are still working for exactly that reason. It ain't a choice - it's a necessity.
I'm sure it all depends on what you're doing. I know a small business owner in his 80's. He's financially very secure and in relatively poor health, but he keeps working. Despite his daily frustrations, I can tell that his work is his greatest love, and I think without it he'd drop dead in a week.
Just wondering how this article falls under the "business" headlines. More like health or world news. Get it out of there.
The reason this article is in the "business" headlines is because it relates to the "work force". No one forced you to read it.
It's true about working when a person is older. As an older person, I can verify that the body begins to wear out and we are more frail. But that is not the real issue here. This man was forced to resign because of the priest pedophile issue. As a cardinal he was in charge of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith office (formerly The Inquisition). In 2001 he had all pedophile cases sent to his office. He knew about every single case and did absolutely nothing. It's a major cover-up that continues. Cases in Africa and third world countries continue to surface. He was responsible in a major way. They need to make public every case. The catholic church is a hierarchy of jaded old men with wildly outdated, bigoted attitudes. They are all about absolute tyrannical power. And the truth shall set you free.
ARS: references?
Not to defend an offending priest, but won't a pedophile put himself in a profession or position to be around children in the first place?? You ever hear of Sandusky? These people are in all walks of life and people need to realize that. This happens in all religions, many schools, homes, anywhere they can get access to a child. Part of the reason everyone puts Catholics and pedophiles together is because evidently they are held to a higher regard than most others and continuing this singular blame against the church is part of the problem, not the solution. Parents, watch your kids! Don't give a pedophile a chance to get to your children. I agree 100% there should never have been a cover up, but, mention the word Catholic on MSN and the newsfeed lights up with all of these accounts such as yours with no references so the rest of us can read it too. I don't want children molested, ever. I am not trying to defend the actions of the guilty priests, but, don't put them all in the same basket because I had a couple of great ones growing up. There, the truth did set me free, thanks.
People don't link priests with pedophilia because they are cherry picking on a case of another group of pedophiles that get jobs in fields that give them access to children, people link them because of the knowledge of the goings on of said priests and the hieracrhy within the catholic church sweeping it under the rug. Religious reputation was of higher priority than protecting catholic children. Yes, pedophiles exist in all walks of life, but in most (not all of course as you did site sandusky) circumstances when faced with the reality it is going on, people do something about it. The Catholic church did nothing, in fact this pope benedict who is now resigning was responsible for reassigning pedophile priests to new, unsuspecting diocese so that they would have a whole new list of victims all in the name of preserving the name of catholicism.
Now are all catholic priests bad? No, but when the man occupying the highest seat for the catholics (who was voted in mind you by popular vote) knowingly shuffles around pedophiles instead of notifying authorities then there is a problem. I do wonder if somehow Ratzinger/Benedict developed a conscious, but I doubt it...I'm guessing shat was about to hit the fan seeing how his butler has already leaked some of his papers.
I believe the concern about pedophilia is based on the numerous schools and hospitals the Catholic Church has established. These schools house young people from elementary school grades through university level. Churches also house preschool level programs, nursery care, daycare, and elder care. Elders may also be subject to abuse. Catholic owned and run hospitals may restrict certain types of health care such as that related to reproductive health. So a known pedophile in a church running a daycare would be a natural concern of parents, especially if the child was sent to a Catholic hospital for evaluation.
I was born in a Catholic hospital. Never have I heard of any abuse coming from that institution. As I said before, pedophiles will seek children.
As a former 100% Catholic who believed all the BS from birth....who cares?
Someone who clothes themselves in dead white weasels needs to have their head examined regardless of the job.
I find it bizarre that most of the self-styled Atheists commenting on Newsvine come up with insults and huge amounts of negativism in life.
Since this hasn't been my experience with my own Atheist friends and work colleagues whom I find sensible and upbeat, I wonder what it is about these poor folks who seem to have a crying need to wallow in put-downs and negativity.
I know way too many Atheist and non-Atheist human beings who are intelligent, constructive workers and are thinkers/problem solvers with intelligence regardless of advanced age. I think, sometimes, that having the goals taught to us in our formative years will prevail all our lives, whether they are good, bad, or indifferent... and we, all of us, shoulder the consequences as adults.
Simplistically, there are three basic aspects of animate life with humans at the presumed top of the scale... and those are the Mental, Physical, and Emotional complexes.
The ageing becomes limited first with the Physical... but does not interfere with the Mental and only slightly with Emotional. Both Mental and Emotional qualities are superior, in fact, to those of us younger people, for the simple wealth of Experience.
Yes, physical capability does weaken... that is, the bones and muscles wearing out in our bodies, but I have read that mentality is actually the last to do this ... after all, scientists hypothesize that we only use 10% of our brains' capabilities in life.
I suggest there are memories untapped with facts we know and have experienced until life's easier demands and rest from distractions take over. Too many of us call aged people "senile." Talk about the name-calling fallacies.
Has it occurred to any of us, not yet into the Silver Years, that wisdom in those years are irrefutably there, but weariness simply to often precludes trying to express it?
I believe that and wish those who are down-beat would realize that too.
I find it bizarre that people of faith teach children that those who disappoint Yahweh will be scalded with fire someday.
Atheist... I think you are a tad simplistic, and in my book refer to some beliefs in the dark ages.
I don't find those who disappoint Yahweh are doomed in any way shape or form. I was not born Jewish, but how very much I respect the Jews, and learned their history, going back to recorded time. And I taught my own kids that Judaism is the profound character substance upon which the rest of us must rely.
I cannot figure Christians (and yes I was born and raised Catholic by my Irish mom) who cannot remember that Jesus of Nazareth never denied that he was Jew (still called Hebrews in the time). I believe he tried to bring the goodness and kindness of God to the Hebrew people to understand Yahweh, then I think called Israel and ruled by pagan Rome.
I believe Jesus made no attempt to establish what his followers began to call Christianity. He was so far beyond that. He reached out to the Aramaic Hebrews with a kind hand, taught them the beauty of finding whom I think you call Yahweh today.
Tell me... why do any folks, any non-Christians, find so much to put down?
An excuse for rejecting goodness? decency? Because, let me tell you that bad people do not seem to understand what so many people who try to be decent have put a name to it... whether it is God, Allah.. and all the translations of that in the world.
Tell me, what is the name of your emblem of decency, fair play, dedication against hurting others... and, I think, most of all, dedication against hurting yourself?
SecondSite1,
My comment may have been a simple one, but simplistic? Ouch. I don't think so. Children are certainly taught all about hell thanks to meek and mild Jesus who seemed to teach so glowingly on the subject of eternal torment. Look, we simply contradict one another.
Now, what exactly do you mean by emblem? An absolute-like standard bearer? I don't hold to absolutes and I'm not a respector of heraldry! Morals change as do traditions.
If I must answer, I suppose empathy, a sense of fairness and certainly reason (to quote Steven Pinker) are the characteristics I find most attractive in a civilized society.
I see organized faith attacking these virtues both historically and currently. And when they do not, the simply show their own redundancy.
Thank you for the questions.
My boss is 91 and comes in EVERY day (even in bad snowy weather--oh yea, he still drives) and is here before most employees, takes his one hour lunch and leaves at 5:00. He is my inspiration every day that he is here.
I'm sorry, I don't want to work forever
I'm sure his heirs also appreciate his dedication to making money for them.
This may sound cruel, but the fact that so many are staying in jobs into their 60's, 70's and beyond is part of what is stopping upward mobility of the young. Positions in companies don't turn over nearly as quickly when people don't leave their posts due to retirement. This keeps younger, perhaps more savvy, talent from taking on these positions.
Vexy, not cruel, really. Expected, yes. The people holding positions in their 60's and 70's and beyond are from generations that know what hard work is and are willing to work for what they have, actually taking pride in what they do. I don't know very many young people these days who have those qualities.
Vexy,You are right but people are working longer due to pensions promised and were pared down,benefits upon retirement pared down or taken away,retirement funds and 401k's went kaput and the home valuations are down.Add to that corporations outsourcing jobs.AT&T is one such company.AS far as younger people being more savvy than older people,not.The problem employers are having with younger workers is they don't show up on time and sometimes not at all.I'm not lumping all younger people into one pile but this is what I have been hearing from human resource people.I left the work force for 6 years,the retirement money went kaput through no fault of my own so I started my own cleaning service.I'll be working until 70 years old,God willing.On the upside,I am healthier than when I was in my 40's.
Once again, most of those involved in these articles for msnbc and some commentors like ARS 03 are out to slam the pope. He led a life of devotion to good causes. Do a little research and you will find that in many jobs especially govt jobs, the head person is often given no information or misinformation, or made to feel that all is well. It is ridiculous to keep saying that the pope had full knowledge of the degree and extent of pedophile cases. What is never written about by the mass media (CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox) is that many criminals INTENTIONALLY infiltrated the Catholic Church to commit these crimes. It was intentional. The Catholic Church is not out to sanction these horrific activities but the mass media wants the masses to think so.
I am 62- don't know how old the msnbc writer is or commenters here. These ultra rich men that she listed who are working into their 80s did not lead hard lives. Msnbc is always out to smash the Catholic Church as MSNBCs owners and head CEOs hate the Church and want to attack it. That is how the mass media operates. They said nothing about the illegal Iraq invasion of 2003 because it suited what the neocon zionists wanted.
There are hundreds of pedophile cases involving Jewish rabbis in Brooklyn, NY alone but it gets little play in the mass media. I know why it gets little to no play but then "they" will play the antiSemite card which would be nonsense (but absolute power corrupts).We live in a sick country and a true culture of death.
The Pope is 85. My father worked 80-100 hrs a week and was a broken man in his 50s-hard labor. I know dozens and dozens of men in their 40s-60s who are worn down- years of night shifts in factories- backbreaking work. For the writer of this article to talk about how millions past 75 are working without strain shows an inexperienced , immature person who has not gone through what a lot of us have gone through. While the majority of the human race was sleeping many of us spent near 40 yrs working nights, weekends , and it will kill you at a young age. Just serving in pits like Vietnam and other places where the USA decides to start wars (witness Iraq invasion 2003), will lead to strain and severe arthritis and many other problems.
For this writer to hint that the Pope is of lesser human quality because he is worn down at 85 can only be the mark of a fool of msnbc with an agenda to make the Pope look bad. Good God, how many of us have seen so many men die in their 60s and younger. I have seen too many young men die from trauma and overwork and yes as one commentor noted, if the genes aren't so favorable, you will die at a younger age, but of course bullets and bombs don't care about your genes.. Let the writer tell construction workers and steel girder workers and loggers and auto mechanics and so on that they should be working past 75.
Honest question: what happens to a pope's infallibility when he retires?
galwayboyUSMCARMY
As your words indicate, I think you are too emotionally attached to this issue to contribute an unbiased assessment of the situation.
I believe that His Holiness is "retiring" about as much as I believe that John Boehner has a "natural" suntan. As to your "honest question" Siara, the answer is only relevant if you believe that the Pope is infallible in the first place. If you do, then I guess he remains infallible, but if you don't, then it doesn't matter.
It's the pope saying, "I don't want to be pope anymore, people. I'm tired of being infallible in faith and morals."
Just a brief observation. He mentioned "relevant." I wonder if he meant the whole thing belongs to ancient times and to keep modifying and adding to it is just like stitching and patching a worn-out clothe, as Jesus said to the Jews who rejected Him:Mt 9:16
"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse.
Mt 9:17
Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."
study the Gospels regarding Return of the Holy Spirit/Messiah. He has come, His name is "the Glory of God"-google it and you shall find.
Hey, Rupert Murdock.... does this give you any ideas?
Rupert will only retire when they carry him out feet first, or Dorothy throws a bucket of water on him.
I only we could get some of our lifelong politicians to step down ...then we would be in business ...
Starting with John McCain.
I agree Deb ....I agree
If the GOP gets its way, we will all be working until we die.
I have never come across so many horrible individuals in one blog. I am Catholic and resent the tone of 90% of the comments made here regarding the departure of the Pope. He may or may not be guilty of any number of things, as may all of you, but this bashing and disrespect and disregard of people's beliefs to sooth your own intolerance tells me hatred has totally won out and we might just as well call it a day. Wow, to tell people that they should or should not believe in the Catholic Church because you have a personal hatred toward Jesus Christ, and the Church and its teachings is chock-full of malice and I would rather meet my maker with a clear conscience than do business with any of you.
As to those of you who claim to be Catholic and that you were Catholic and are no longer, I truly hope you find your way back home.
Resent all you like. You don't have a right to not be offended! What you need to do, to have any credibility among adults, is pick a statement you don't like and reprint it for discussion.
For instance, I have made statements. I challenge you to find something not factual to criticize.
You sound just like my mother.
A....you certainly have the right to worship and believe as you please. My 2cents to you is take your blinders off, the church is full of corruption, deceit, and criminals. It needs to fall apart and hopefully, if people choose, to be built back again with integrity and truth.
And they gotta take them damn dresses off.
Maybe Congress could take a lesson from this and show some 80-90 year olds the door
I have to be honest and guess that there's actually a little bit more than old age going on, something major like a cancer or severe heart disease, and he wanted to leave the job to someone who could be FULLY there instead of getting treatments...
Ha! he gave up the job because his butler leaked the info that he has been covering for pedophiles! I would hang my head in shame too, its good i have morals instead of religion.
I absolutely agree that there should be a retirement age in congress.....just let your eyes wander over that motley crew tonite if you choose to watch the SOTU address. Watch how many elders are barely llistening, or maybe they are unable to.
Congress needs to MOVE ON with the business of the country, and sometimes the elders who are stuck in their ways of thinking keep us back. No insult intended here, I have enormous respect for seniors and enjoy listening to them and being a friend to them.
As for the pope....good riddance. Enjoy your monastery stay in your weird dresses, doted on by nuns and butlers, and prepare to meet your Maker. I know I am judging you, but methinks you have a lot of preparing to do. You are evil personified.
Religion aside, it is sensible to resign or retire if one hasn't the physical or mental strength to continue. I think Pope Benedict has set a valuable example for this.
I double checked and the Pope does not receive any cash compensation. I'm not an expert on why Popes up and quit, but I have a theory, I think the man did not want to say anything, but he probably would have preferred to see a number larger than...ZERO! when he opened his paycheck every week. He's really going to be miffed when he see's his pension after they take out for the Pope-a- care insurance which does not include his pre-existing heart condition. You want to hear some Latin?
I guess hiding pedophile priests and lying about it to the world and threatening all your underlings with ex-communication if they reveal it to the authorities can really take it out of a guy. This is supposed to be the infallable messenger of God? I guess that means that God approves of child molestors as well. He is retiring because he know he has too much blood on his hands and wants to quietly fade away.
Pope retires..."Late-life work" written by a 20 yr old ? Being responsible for the souls of one and a half billion people world-wide probably has its cost.
Discussions about religion aside (I'm atheist myself), I find the headline of this story absurd. After all, isn't the job of pope supposedly hired by god itself? I hope not to work past about 65, but if I do, I'll consider myself financially inspired, and most certainly not infallible.