The community continues to propser yet retirements are always close by, leaving holes in the community. Yet, there are many different types of retirement that may not create the holes people think they do. Thus, let us look into the different types of retirements and discuss what each of these mean.
Designed by Edu
It is with a heavy heart that today I announce my retirement from armies – is what is normally said when people retire. However, retirements are often temporary before that person moves on to another journey within the community. For some it may be temporary due to school or other for commitments. Even for the older members of the community, a retirement is not final. It is just the beginning of something new. But what is it the beginning of? To find out what it is the beginning of, we must visit general “retirements” first.
When a person feels like their time within a certain army or in a certain position is coming to an end, they will announce their “retirement”. For them, this is the end of the journey they started within that army or in that position. For example, if a troop makes their way in an army and becomes an army leader, they will generally have goals throughout that journey. Additionally, they will have accomplishments which they will achieve, either big or small. Yet, there is always a yearning for more – to achieve the most that they possibly can.
A retirement marks the end of a journey, and with that, any accomplishments remain in history while any remaining goals are dissolved. If a Leader aims to gain a trophy win in Nachos and they failed to achieve it then that journey is over, whether they move to another army or not. They cannot achieve that goal in that position without being in it so it is gone. However, their retirement may not be the end of their journey in armies. ‘Retirement’ in armies is essentially a word marking the end of a chapter but the beginning of a new one within the same community.
A former Leader or even a troop may announce their retirement then move over to another army. With this, they will have new goals. Their goals may be similar, for example, to win a major tournament or to achieve Leader. Yet, despite the similarities, it is a different goal and a different journey. Instead of a full-on retirement, it is the turning of a page in a big book.
With that being said, we can now look at those who are at then end of their time within armies. This is where a retirement seems permanent. However, it is instead where full-timers become part-timers. Some go on to carve their path within advisories and others choose to help out in organisations. These are not the only paths taken because some will stay in an army but play a more passive role, attending when they can. In any of these siuations, the people remain part of the community, even if just a small part. Their “retirement” is less about them leaving for good and more about them starting to spend less time within armies. It also, again, marks the end of their time playing a (big) role within an army. Ultimately, they play a much smaller role once this happens.
The part-timer role is the most common role for retired members to take up. Their goals within armies are gone, they can no longer achieve their big goals without playing a big part in it. They can help armies to achieve great things but their own achievements are put on hold or destroyed. Perhaps it is a retirement, perhaps all of their goals are no longer in their mind or achieveable…perhaps they no-longer want to achieve them. No matter what their answer is, a person could be considered as semi-retired while still having their foot in the door but, of course, many will always debate this kind of retirement even being a retirement. Yet, with a part time role and no goals or active roles, can they truly be considered active?
Finally, there are those who step out of the community and stop playing any role within armies. They come into chats once in a blue moon, they may take interviews or give advice from time to time. However, this is not a regular occurrance. Therefore, they can truly be considered retired…until they choose to return temporarily whether it be for a tournament or for an organisation. Thus, all retirements seem temporary, it is only a matter of time before people return to the community. Even for those who are gone from the community and not planning to come back, their return is always going to be long-awaited and inevitible.
While there are some people who genuinely retire from the community and choose not to return, most retirements are temporary. Therefore, can we really consider them as retirements? Perhaps we should stop calling them such and create a new phrase, a new standard? Can a community member become a part timer whilst being “retired” or should they be considered active? What should the new standard within CPA be? Are part-timers frowned upon because of the misuse of the word retirement?
Coolguy
Chief Executive Producer