Recently I was in a busy doctor’s office waiting room filled with mostly seniors. It was quiet until I heard a loud, angry voice, “I’m a senior citizen. You people can’t do that to me. I drove all the way in from Peoria!”. The young girl behind the counter, to whom she was complaining,  tried to explain what needed to be done by the patient, but it didn’t satisfy the woman. She continued to demand, plead, and assert that she was a senior citizen and carried on like a wild woman. After all, the woman did drive “all the way” from Peoria. She was embarrassing herself and making the atmosphere unpleasant.

Memo to “I  deserve” seniors: Your seniorhood does not make you a victim. The world is not out to “get you,” so quietly behave yourself when things do not go your way.

The senior citizen was probably of sound mind when she got what she wanted or thought she deserved. Many seniors believe their seniorhood confers unique benefits because they have lived so long. As a result, they can be as nasty and demanding as they choose to be when they scream,  “I’m a senior citizen.”

I had a personal experience with this “I’m a senior citizen” demand. While working, I recall a time when a  government-sponsored and promoted flu scare, much like the COVID thing, was making people crazy, wanting access to the “flu capsules” in short supply. Seniors, in particular, were convinced they would die unless they took the pills. A senior woman called the pharmacy about the availability of the flu pills and was unhappy when told they were out of stock. She screamed at me, “I’m a senior citizen! We are supposed to come first! You better hurry up and get them, or people will die.”  Government propaganda, as now with the COVID  hoax, had done a great job of scaring older people, in particular,  to death.

There is a lesson in this for those on the brink of retirement. Yes, you are sick and tired of working at a job you don’t like. Or, maybe you like your job, but the lure of not having to work for the rest of your life is overwhelming. Travel! Golf! Parties, Sleeping late! Ease over effort wins every time. But, unfortunately, you don’t realize that transitioning from the work world to the ease-oriented retirement world is the door to decline.

Is retirement the door to decline? You have to be kidding. No, I’m not kidding. When an individual affirms a mental decision to retire, the body starts to shut down processes needed in the work world but not required in retirement. A lot of personality is lost in the shutdown process. Retirees may revert to being demanding group-oriented teenagers who believe, “I come first” or  “I’m entitled.”.

We get the genuine respect of others when we earn it, not when we demand it, regardless of how old we are. We don’t have to return to our teen years and behave like spoiled brats to get what we want. Accept that, like everyone else, we can’t always get what we think we are entitled to. Be a role model. Let us carry ourselves with intelligence and dignity regardless of where we are in life.