Social Security
Social Security.
Two words, that can be twisted and mauled into any meaning. Or can by themselves imply any one of numerous meanings.
My mind went off on a tangent when I saw an article on TIME magazine's web site, about the US President's plan to overhaul Social Security (http://www.ssa.gov/).
So first off, a little SocSec 101 (thats what they call or number an introductory course in a university. Like MSWord 101, English 101 etc etc.). In the USA, every working person pays about 6.2 % of their income to the social security system. The funds from this system are used to pay checks (cheques) to the elderly who have retired and the qualified young who are unemployed. I am not aware of who qualifies for the SS checks (also called SS benefits), but in one line, its basically how the younger (working) generation / group contibute to the welfare of the less fortunate ones or disabled / elderly people who are no longer capable of performing any physical or mental labour to support themselves. Hence the term Social Security.
Or is it really? Have we really come to a phase where people are no longer supported by their own family, and rather have to rely on the government to pay them money? I come from India, and we have a similar system. Its called Pensions. But its applicable only for retired employees of the Government. However, my question still remains. Why do the elderly or the disabled have to rely on the Government so much for living their lives? I do understand that many people lose their means of support in tragedies, and yes, they need a helping hand surely since they have no one else. But that should be a minority. What about the numerous other people who have sons and daughters who earn enough money to spread around a little? More pointedly, have we, as a society become selfish to the point where we no longer have enough charity in our mind to even take care of our parents? Have we become so fiercely Individualistic, that as soon as we get married or grow up, we have to leave the nest, never to return back to it, and in fact, create a new nest elsewhere and devote all resources to it? And then the people who created us have to resort to retirement funds and social security checks ?
I do not grudge anyone their happiness or their ambitions. Yes, its everyone's privilege. But, dont we also have duties? Arent we also bound by ethics to take a pause at some point and start looking back upon life and start trying to make the lives of our parents or disabled siblings a little more comfortable? Giving up a slice of our pie, so that those very people who made sacrifices for us can live a little better?
I am not saying no one does it. The sad part is, the majority does not do it. Or else, we would not have such a large majority of people depending on social security or pensions. Many people do realise this. Some realise it too late, when they start getting their checks.
Hopefully, the current generation of working people starts making a difference. Maybe start creating an "internal security" fund, save a certain percentage of income each month for parents, maybe not maintain big huge independent houses, but get smaller homes closer together, for you, your parents and your spouse's parents too.
Definitely not one home, because different people have different ways of living life, and 3 families cannot stay together. But its always possible to stay in the vicinity. If I were to get married someday, I would certainly want not only my parents close to me, but also my wife's parents. Because the way I see it, when you marry someone, you also marry their family, and any problems they may have, big or small, are your problems too, and I would stand by that.
Yet we see people going the other way. Why so much individualism, that parents and their children do not stay closer in the long run, when the lives of the children are stable? Could someone explain this to me? Most people need to start reflecting on how we can really start making a difference - by making the lives of the elderly and disabled within our own family a little more secure..
Two words, that can be twisted and mauled into any meaning. Or can by themselves imply any one of numerous meanings.
My mind went off on a tangent when I saw an article on TIME magazine's web site, about the US President's plan to overhaul Social Security (http://www.ssa.gov/).
So first off, a little SocSec 101 (thats what they call or number an introductory course in a university. Like MSWord 101, English 101 etc etc.). In the USA, every working person pays about 6.2 % of their income to the social security system. The funds from this system are used to pay checks (cheques) to the elderly who have retired and the qualified young who are unemployed. I am not aware of who qualifies for the SS checks (also called SS benefits), but in one line, its basically how the younger (working) generation / group contibute to the welfare of the less fortunate ones or disabled / elderly people who are no longer capable of performing any physical or mental labour to support themselves. Hence the term Social Security.
Or is it really? Have we really come to a phase where people are no longer supported by their own family, and rather have to rely on the government to pay them money? I come from India, and we have a similar system. Its called Pensions. But its applicable only for retired employees of the Government. However, my question still remains. Why do the elderly or the disabled have to rely on the Government so much for living their lives? I do understand that many people lose their means of support in tragedies, and yes, they need a helping hand surely since they have no one else. But that should be a minority. What about the numerous other people who have sons and daughters who earn enough money to spread around a little? More pointedly, have we, as a society become selfish to the point where we no longer have enough charity in our mind to even take care of our parents? Have we become so fiercely Individualistic, that as soon as we get married or grow up, we have to leave the nest, never to return back to it, and in fact, create a new nest elsewhere and devote all resources to it? And then the people who created us have to resort to retirement funds and social security checks ?
I do not grudge anyone their happiness or their ambitions. Yes, its everyone's privilege. But, dont we also have duties? Arent we also bound by ethics to take a pause at some point and start looking back upon life and start trying to make the lives of our parents or disabled siblings a little more comfortable? Giving up a slice of our pie, so that those very people who made sacrifices for us can live a little better?
I am not saying no one does it. The sad part is, the majority does not do it. Or else, we would not have such a large majority of people depending on social security or pensions. Many people do realise this. Some realise it too late, when they start getting their checks.
Hopefully, the current generation of working people starts making a difference. Maybe start creating an "internal security" fund, save a certain percentage of income each month for parents, maybe not maintain big huge independent houses, but get smaller homes closer together, for you, your parents and your spouse's parents too.
Definitely not one home, because different people have different ways of living life, and 3 families cannot stay together. But its always possible to stay in the vicinity. If I were to get married someday, I would certainly want not only my parents close to me, but also my wife's parents. Because the way I see it, when you marry someone, you also marry their family, and any problems they may have, big or small, are your problems too, and I would stand by that.
Yet we see people going the other way. Why so much individualism, that parents and their children do not stay closer in the long run, when the lives of the children are stable? Could someone explain this to me? Most people need to start reflecting on how we can really start making a difference - by making the lives of the elderly and disabled within our own family a little more secure..
posted by Dream Runner | 10:50 AM
1 Comments:
Found an interesting article that indirectly supports a different perspective: self-financing your retirement years. No reliance on anyone, and based on prudence and foresight.
Check out more here:
"The Chilean Model"
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