old age

While watching the program on 'Japan Hour', I was particularly struck by the elderly ladies in their 80s to 90s years of age. They seem so serene and contented farming away in the fields...waking up before dawn.

Is retirement a thing of the 20th century? A thing of the past?

A huge chunk of the population belongs to the baby-boomers. The Y and Next generation blame the baby-boomers for squandering the resources and so forth and so forth... And there are not enough of the Y and the Next to take care of the baby-boomers...

Can one actually retire after spending a whole life long working? Where work became one's identity and purpose in life? Can one actually hang around doing nothing all day long for unspecified period of time?

Considering the lack of resources and manpower, in due time, surely retirement might not be an option. Perhaps the economy will have to create and absorb those in their sixties or seventies for their patience, diligence, experience...and what have you.

Will the 21st century be one that a person works till he/she drops dead?