Thought for the day

Each challenge of life adds to the suspense, adds to the mystery, adds to the chaos, adds to the possibilities, adds to the romance, adds to the adventure, adds to the joy.

And anything that adds to the joy should be embraced.

Children born today 'will work to 80' under pension reforms in Britain

Let’s hope Harper is not paying too much attention to the pension reforms in Britain. Let’s hope the scandals he faces today will keep him and his minions away from reading what is happening in Britain. The following was posted on May 09, 2012 and shows how the government there is taking steps to destroy the social contract between it and the people.

The state retirement age will rise in line with life expectancy under plans for a radical overhaul of the pension system. By Robert Winnett, Political Editor

A planned increase in the retirement age to 67 will be brought forward to between 2026 and 2028, after which it will be linked to longevity for future retirees. Children born today may not be able to retire until they are 80.  

A separate piece of legislation was also unveiled which will overhaul the pensions offered to public-sector workers, which will in future be calculated on the basis of “career average” earnings rather than a final salary. The schemes will also become cheaper for the taxpayer. The changes have been bitterly opposed by the trade unions in recent months.

The reforms to the pension system were one of the few radical pieces of legislation to be announced in yesterday’s speech. Successive governments over the past decade have grappled with the problems of the complicated state pension and the increased cost of retirement because of sharp increases in life expectancy.

The Government briefing on the changes said it is “committing to ensuring that the state pension age is increased in future to take into account increases in longevity”.

The measures will run alongside a drive to tackle the pensions savings crisis, which will see up to 10 million people automatically enrolled into workplace schemes from this autumn, starting with larger companies.

John Lawson, head of pension policy at Standard Life, said: “If after 2026 the state pension age increases in line with our changing life expectancy, we could expect that someone who is currently 37 won’t be able to start drawing their state pension until they are 70 and someone who is 21 won’t receive it until they are 75.

“This means that children born in 2012 are unlikely to get their state pension until 80, if life expectancy at retirement rises in line with the last 30 years.”

The simplification of the state pension was welcomed by the National Association of Pension Funds.

Joanne Segars, the association’s chief executive, said: “We are delighted by this confirmation of the Government’s commitment to a long-awaited, landmark reform.

“This is another big step towards a simpler, more generous state pension that no longer penalises people for saving. A new system will take millions out of means-tested benefits and will encourage people to take control of their own age by saving towards it.”

She added: “We are all living longer, so it is inevitable that retirement ages move upwards to reflect that. The trade-off for working longer must be a better state pension come retirement.”

Feeling Sad and Confused

I had a friend say to me the other day, “I'm feeling sad and confused and awkward, and I don't know how to deal with these emotions.”

Each of us has a perspective of the world that is unique. And it takes time, effort and skill to present your view to the people around you.

As humans we are blessed with the power of intelligence. Each has remarkable commutative, perceptive, linguistic and much more powers; each of us have a different inner setup that helps shape our world view. Emotions are part of who we are but they do not define us.  So do not worry  about your emotions, focus on the outcomes you want.

How do you let go of the circle of gloom. How?

Start by embracing the sadness and confusion and focus on the emotions and remember your emotions while unique to you are what connects  you to all. Remember that time does not stand still, nor do our thoughts. Try writing; writing brings clarity to your thoughts, visions and emotions.  

While embracing the sadness, start to focus on the positives in your life, and slowly  the negatives will flow to the back of the mind and the positives will flow to the top of mind.

Try solitude it works because solitude is a form of companionship.

Monitor your time and remember that our bodies are aware of time; they need food, sleep, music, play, and much more. Monitor what you do, do so you do not feel dead or hollow and slowly over time you will begin to celebrate the positives and the sadness will pass, if it doesn't then see your health care provider as there may  be a chemical imbalance that needs to be taken care of by a professional.

Time in a bottle

I have been thnking about time as I move closer to the end of my contract. For some of us we view the world in positive future time. We look forward to events, planning them anticipating them savoring them and being excited about things that will happen to us we feel in control as we move to the future. Others view the world in negative future time, we dread tomorrow, the events that will happen are going to be nasty, we feel out of control as we plunge into the dark hole that is the futue.

Others of us view our world through the past, we build our life on what we have done, as Springsteen says "Our glory days" shape our present as we think about times past and past glories.

Others live in the present and do not plan for the future nor dwell in the past. Time and the passage of time is a function of our mind and we control how we view time. Future orientation may mean giving up the joys of the present to future hopes and dreams, which may or may not come true. Living in the past may mean that we miss out on chances to create more glory days. Living in the present means not planning for our future and maybe putting our security at risk.

Some songs that focus on time are:

       ·        Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce

·        Time Passages

·        SyncopatedClock

·        Time after Time

·        Does Anybody Really Know What Time it Is?

·        Till the End of Time

·        Summertime

·        Time  on my Hands

·        Time

·        Wings of Peace

·        One Day at a Time

·        If Tomorrow Never Comes

·        25 or 6 to 4

·        For evera nd Ever, Amen

·        Time Stands Still

·        Time Marches On

·        As Time Goes By

·        ToE verything there is a Season (Turn, Turn, Turn)

·        Till the End of Time

·        Hazy Shade of Winter

·        Somewhere in Time

·        Yesterday

·        Rock Around the Clock

·        Yesterday, When I was Young

·        Killing Time

·        A New Day has Come

·        No Time