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Age has an enormous effect on perception and this is one aspect that has been neglected in the economic push to see Australia’s baby boomers continue to work.
When I was 55 my perceptions relating to a host of issues were very different to what they were, but now a days off 68, they are different again.
I have regularly communicated my inner thoughts to canvas (art) has seen how changes in attitude occur after what he refers to as ‘the consuming years’.
The consuming years were of particular relevance to the baby boomer generation who were engrossed in providing their children with a good education and establishing themselves in areas such as career and or volunteer organizations such as community, sport and social clubs.
The baby boomer was consumed with more than career achievement, there was a sense of responsibility to see the children get a start, and then came release.
In my philosophical pastoral responsibilities, one 53 year old top corporate executive asked me the typical rhetorical question after the children left home: ‘Why am I doing all this?’
Numerous others have tossed in the corporation or the career to find a very different set of life experiences from leisure pursuits, to travel, to sea or rural change, to Christian mission at home or abroad.
Now, after all that, I’m finding that many of these people are choosing to return to the work force for a whole host of different reasons other than economic.
Moreover, these baby boomers see life very differently now and this will inevitably affect our wider society as their financial and political influence steadily plays out in the life of the nation.
There are some very practical issues such as the growing number of grand-parents becoming providers, the affordability difficulties of housing, a perception of national insecurity and failing relationships.
These are producing a more conservative generation in our children, a sense of returning to the values of their great grand parents, and many baby boomers are themselves yearning for a return of such values.
This growing abundance of retiring professional graying baby boomers is also an astonishing resource for Christian ministry.
Former corporate professionals in a myriad of creative Christian ministry roles will inevitably bring challenging yet remarkably positive and surprising paradigm changes.
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Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children. Dr Tronson writes a daily article for Christian Today Australia (since 2008) and in November 2016 established Christian Today New Zealand. Dr Mark Tronson’s Press Service International in 2019 was awarded the Australasian Religious Press Association’s premier award, The Gutenberg.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html
Dr Mark Tronson - a 4 min video
Chairman – Well-Being Australia
Baptist Minister 45 years
- 1984 - Australian cricket team chaplain 17 years (Ret)
- 2001 - Life After Cricket (18 years Ret)
- 2009 - Olympic Ministry Medal – presented by Carl Lewis
- 2019 - The Gutenberg - (ARPA Christian Media premier award)
Gutenberg video - 2min 14sec
Married to Delma for 45 years with 4 children and 6 grand children
