Encore careers—a concept that will await the test of time…a review of the book ‘Encore’ by Mark Freedman

By Daniel Hines
Publisher
www.TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com

Sometimes, one feels like a voice crying in the wilderness.  That’s the case as I have pondered just what my reaction is to the book ‘Encore’ written by noted social entrepreneur Mark Freedman.

First, let’s note the many worthwhile accomplishments of Freedman.  He is successful in his business career…and he has been a leader in the development of the Purpose Prize—an award for which I applied one year, but failed to get any consideration.  This is mentioned only because I don’t want anyone thinking that my observations about the concept of Encore careers is colored by that experience. For the record, I didn’t even apply this year.

Now, after reading Freedman’s book, I have a better understanding of my shortcomings.

First of all, I am not a Boomer. I was born in 1939, about six years too soon to qualify. Next, my Father was not a soldier who returned home at the end of the war to look forward to building a new life.  He was older—nearly 51 when I was born—and took the inconvenient path of dying in 1945, just about the time the first Boomers were being born.

Also, growing up in a small town of 1,000, the only ‘careers’ we were told we might have were as teachers, farmers, or factory workers. 

Then, I was old before my time.  Married at 20, sent to Korea shortly afterwards (peacetime), I returned home at 22 to  a wife, a child and no job.  Fortunately, my military experience with Army newspapers enabled me to land a job on a daily newspaper in Central Illinois.

The point is that I just have a bit of a different perspective from Freedman.

He makes many good points, talking about training (or retraining), more roles for an aging population in volunteer work, working as teachers, or even in one case, joining the Peace Corps and going to Romania. 

That’s all very good.  But I have some problems with Freedman’s basic precepts:  

1.      I find him to be a bit simplistic in his approach.  Likely the success stories that he discusses would have been survivors in any circumstance, and using a few examples of people who have found new careers—perhaps even flourishing in them—fails to address the larger issue of a great number of people who are just simply overwhelmed by life situations.

2.      I was particularly concerned about his approach to health care accounts, a new approach to Social Security and retirement savings, and his call for taking a Sabbatical while one finds oneself to decide just what the new career will be .  He fails to address the societal contract that Social Security represents of an agreement between two generations, one generation acting on behalf of another.  Just as an older generation has worked and made sacrifices to provide the structure for a younger generation’s success, Social Security provides an opportunity for a younger generation to assume a responsibility to the elderly that reflects the fact that the well-being of those older people has a benefit that contributes to the quality of our society.

3.      Freedman regularly uses stories of people who have overcome adversity.  Their accomplishments are commendable.  I was a bit uneasy, however, with what I consider a failure to address the needs to sometimes help others.  Also, I regularly receive communications from people who must battle the stereotypes of people who have been victimized by age discrimination, and the perceptions that older people either don’t have a contribution to make, or for those who do continue to enrich others’ lives, the elderly person is perceived as an oddity.  I would like to have seen a greater emphasis upon a leadership dedicated to developing a proper perception of how elderly can be a valued element of our lives.

4.      I was disappointed that Freedman said virtually nothing about health care coverage for all citizens.  Health Care Accounts just won’t cut it, and I personally doubt that the private sector can cut it.  He mentions a COBRA extension, presenting one of the biggest frauds ever perpetrated upon America workers as a part of a cure.  Anyone who has ever had the ‘opportunity’ to pay for COBRA extensions know that it is just beyond one’s reach.

5.      As a beneficiary of ‘socialized’ medicine through the Veterans’ Administration, I believe that the answer to ensuring the health of all Americans—especially as the population continues to age—will come through Universal coverage, likely a single-payer plan.  In that vein, reading Freedman’s book was a part of an interesting week.  I had just attended a luncheon with Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, at which he offered his vision of a real need for a new approach to dealing with the Health Care crisis.  The Speaker made many good points, but got caught up in his own underwear when he severely criticized Democrats as ‘socialists’, ‘know-nothings’, and proponents of unworkable plans—only a short time after calling for a consensus-building process.

I felt somewhat the same way about Freedman’s book.  He doesn’t have the Pit Bull tendencies of the former Speaker, but I think his own personal success and his ability to introduce concepts into the public discourse make him believe it’s all a bit easier than it really is. 

His contribution is precisely that—to introduce concepts, ideas and to contribute to a dialogue on the Aging of America.  I only hope he enlarges his scope a bit to realize that there will be those who will excel as well as those who will be left behind because of health, talents, education, and opportunities, and that he will offer his thoughts on what responsibility he believes we have, if any, to those people.