Purposeful old age: is the welfare state a myth?

Purposeful old age: a myth of the welfare state or a luxury dying out?

The discussion about whether a dignified and purposeful old age is possible in the contemporary world is not a cheap philosophical exercise. Behind it lie stubborn facts: a pension system that works like a Ponzi scheme, a birth rate in free fall and a culture that has replaced transcendence with consumption. The question is not rhetorical: when pension plan adverts show smiling retirees cycling along the beach, the reality is that many elderly people face an aimless life, sustained by state transfers and owned homes they can no longer pass on.

The mirage of pensions

The central argument of those who see the system as unviable is that the welfare state has created an illusion: today's elderly receive pensions far higher than what they contributed, funded by the work of younger generations. This is not an opinion, but an actuarial fact. When the last baby boomer fades away — along with the cushion of home ownership — a dignified old age will depend on family solidarity or a demographic miracle nobody sees coming. Meanwhile, advertising keeps selling an "active third age" that, for most, is a chimera.

Old age without purpose: from Breaking Bad to the beach umbrella

The thread connects with a modern classic: Walter White, the protagonist of Breaking Bad, finds a catastrophic purpose when cancer robs him of his future. The underlying question is whether, without an existential threat, contemporary society can provide its elders with a horizon of meaning. The answer, judging by the demographic data and the emptiness of the cult of consumption, is pessimistic. Carlos Soria, climbing eight-thousanders at 84, is the exception that proves the rule: for most, the horizon is getting up early to grab a spot on the beach, as one participant ironically puts it.

The future of a dignified old age lies neither in TV series nor in adverts. Either a social fabric that gives purpose is rebuilt — extended family, community, care networks — or the welfare state will be nothing more than a prosthesis that delays the void. The prediction, with reservations, is that the current model will not survive another decade without a painful adjustment.