While 70-year-old Uncle Mustafa looks for work, Hans travels the world

A flyer on a wall in Beşiktaş: 70-year-old Uncle Mustafa wrote it in his own handwriting and posted it on the walls... "I am skilled in welding, plumbing, and roofing. I can do garden maintenance. I have no health problems. I can work 4-5 hours a day," he says. Does our heart ache? Yes. But the real question is: Why does it ache? Because in Turkey, retirement does not mean rest, but a struggle for survival.

Let's also look at Hans in Germany. A male retiree who has worked for 45 years in Germany receives an average pension of 1,637 euros. The pension for female retirees is around 1,323 euros on average.

What about John in England? In England, the state pension is approximately 179.60 pounds per week, which is about 718.40 pounds per month. However, many retirees increase this amount with supplementary pension plans and raise their total income.

Now let's imagine: If Hans or John wanted to go on a world tour, could they set sail across the oceans in a comfortable cabin on a luxury cruise ship? Yes, they certainly could... A cruise ticket for an average world tour costs around 20,000-30,000 dollars per person. In other words, if Hans or John saves their pension for 10-15 months without spending it, they can brag to their grandchildren as a "retiree who has seen the whole world."

What about Uncle Mustafa in Beşiktaş? The lowest pension in Turkey is approximately 10,000 TL. Let's calculate with today's exchange rate: A world tour costs an average of 900,000 TL. This means Uncle Mustafa would have to save his entire pension for exactly 90 months, or 7.5 years, without spending a single penny! But between rent, bills, medicine, and food, his entire pension vanishes anyway. So, naturally, he puts out a job ad, saying, "I have no health problems, I can work 4-5 hours."

Then there are those who come out and give speeches saying, "Our retirees are very lucky, we have a family culture!" Last year, even though Germany and England didn't think of it, we declared it the Year of the Retiree. We promised our retirees discounts at shopping malls. 

You might call Hans, who goes on a world tour when he retires, "selfish," or John "hedonistic," and we might find tragicomic excuses for our Uncle Mustafa, like "he is protecting his health by working a little bit..."

One cannot help but ask: Okay, Uncle Mustafa has to work because he has no health problems, but why are millions of retirees shopping at the market in the evening when prices drop, instead of battling it out on a cruise ship?