24/02/2026
I want to share the following interesting and mind boggling article for reflection and the joy of reading especially by retirees.
*”YOU CANNOT RETIRE “*
By
Chief Dr. David Ogba Onuoha Bourdex, MFR, OON
Ugo’Ena Ncde Abiriba
I have come to this conclusion, not just from books or sermons, but from the steady drumbeat of real life. From watching friends, colleagues, great men - men of wisdom, strength, and wealth - choose to retire... only to quietly fade into sickness, into sorrow, and then, far too soon, into the arms of death.
Retirement, in the way the world understands it, is not rest - it is resignation. Resignation from purpose. From duty. From the creative tension that keeps the spirit vibrant and alert.
In the Light of Truth, we are taught that everything in Creation is in motion. Motion is life. Motion is law.
Look around you:
* Rivers flow ceaselessly - wherever the current breaks off, water stagnates and death settles in.
* The Earth rotates without pause.
* The seasons march in perfect obedience.
* Even the great stars above us dance in eternal cycles, never swerving, never stalling.
Man is no exception.
We were not made to rest. We were made to strive, to build, to create, to solve, to nurture.
The moment we choose to withdraw from life’s current, to step out of the stream and into the stagnant pool of ‘retirement,’ something begins to wither - first in the mind, then in the body, then in the soul.
You cannot retire from being alive.
What is needed is not retirement - but redirection. A man may leave a career, yes, but he must never leave his calling. He must find another field where his hands are needed, where his thoughts must still labour, where his spirit can continue to serve.
Inactivity is an invitation to decay.
A man must have something that:
* Keeps him curious,
* Keeps him responsible,
* Keeps him accountable,
* Keeps him needed.
For as long as breath remains, there must be engagement - with God, with purpose, with people, with destiny.
Even a candle in its last inch must burn with dignity, casting light until the final flicker.
Even in old age, the tree must still bear fruits - or at least cast shade.
Even at sunset, the sky must still paint itself with glory.
I speak this not only for myself but for all who may be tempted to think their work is done because the world says “retire.”
No. You may rest. You may change lanes. But you must never stop moving.
To stop is to rust.
To rust is to rot.
And to rot is to die - before your time.
So keep moving, my brothers and sisters. Keep thinking. Keep building. Keep giving. Keep creating. Keep becoming.
