A sentence I encountered as a 10-year-old has found a new meaning in my retirement.
“Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man.”
(Francis Bacon)
Some words follow us through life without us fully understanding their importance when we first encounter them. For me, one of those words came from Francis Bacon when I was about ten years old. I did not understand the depth of Bacon's famous statement at that age. What fascinated me was not even the quotation itself. It was the circumstance in which I encountered it.
I remember seeing my uncle practising typing on a manual typewriter. As he was typing, he recited the famous Francis Bacon's quote. My uncle was practicing towards qualifying as a stenographer. Those words rang a bell in my ears and created an indelible impression; I fell in love with, reading, writing and learning.
Many years later, I finally understood the message Bacon was passing. In simple parlance, he was telling us that reading develops knowledge, discussion develops readiness and understanding, while writing develops precision of thought. Looking back today, I realise that Bacon described something that has become an important part of my life in retirement. And surprisingly, I found it in Hive and Ecency. Let me tell my story:-
FROM A 10-YEAR-OLD BOY TO A RETIREE
For most of my working life, I was occupied with what is commonly called “the 9-to-5 life”. There were deadlines, responsibilities, problems to solve, work to be done and people to interact with. But there was hardly enough time to sit quietly and ask myself: “What do I really enjoy doing?”
Retirement changed everything. When the “9-to- 5” phase ended, I suddenly discovered something that had been scarce for many years: “time”. But here's the catch: having time is not necessarily the same thing as knowing what to do with it. I did not want my retirement to become a period of simply sitting down and gazing at the sky aimlessly. I wanted my mind to remain active; I wanted to continue learning. I wanted to share the knowledge and experience accumulated over decades. Above all, I wanted to find something I could enjoy doing simply because I enjoyed doing it.
That was when “Hive” entered my life.
When I first encountered Hive and began publishing through Ecency; I did not immediately realise that I had stumbled on something that perfectly matched Bacon's philosophy. But gradually, I began to see the connection:
READING MAKETH A FULL MAN: The first part of Bacon's statement is about reading. This is perhaps the easiest part to understand. Every time I read a good article written by another Hiver, I learn something. Since I joined Hive, I have learned more about technology; I learn new things about agriculture; I learned from someone's personal experience; I have discovered different cultures, countries or ways of looking at life. Sometimes, I simply read something that makes me stop and think. This is one of the things I appreciate about Hive. The people writing here come from different backgrounds, professions, countries and generations. That diversity makes the platform an execellent place for publishing my articles. Sometimes, I begin my day intending to read one article, only to discover another interesting post through someone's comment: One article leads to another; one author introduces me to another; one idea triggers another. That is how learning works. In my opinion, I believe that's what Bacon meant when he said that reading makes a person full.
WRITING MAKETH AN EXACT MAN
This one has surprised me the most; before I started writing regularly on Hive, I did not think of myself primarily as a writer. My professional background and experience were in technical fields. I was accustomed to practical problems, electrical systems, calculations, equipment and finding solutions. But writing has helped me to organise my thoughts differently.
When I have an idea in my head, initially it would be confusing. I may know what I want to say, but I may not know exactly how to say it. When I start writing, I have to ask myself: What exactly am I trying to tell the reader? What is the evidence? What example can I give? Is my explanation clear enough? Would another person understand what I am saying? And so on … Writing therefore becomes more than putting words on a paper or screen; it's a way of thinking clearly. That is why Bacon's words have become much more meaningful to me now than they were when I first encountered them as a child.
CONFERENCE MAKETH A READY MAN
This part of Bacon's statement resonates with me the most; It's about conversation, discussion and interaction with others. On Hive, I experience this through engagement. I read someone's post; I leave a comment. Someone responds; another person joins the conversation. I discover another perspective; sometimes I agree. Sometimes I disagree; sometimes someone points out something I had overlooked.
That is learning too. A meaningful comment can generate value-added conversation and sometimes that conversation can be more valuable than the original article. This is where Hive has become particularly interesting to me. I am not merely publishing into an empty space. There are people on the other side. People read what I write; people react, ask questions, share their experiences and I respond. That interaction keeps me active.
HIVE: MY RETIREMENT CLASSROOM
If someone had told me years ago that, in retirement, I would spend part of my time learning from people I had never met from different parts of the world, writing articles and participating in online discussions, I might have found it difficult to imagine.
But that is exactly what is happening to me now. Hive has become something of a retirement classroom without walls. There is no timetable. There is no lecturer standing in front of me. There is no examination at the end of the semester, yet I continue to learn. And perhaps the most beautiful part is that I am both a student and a teacher … 😁. When I read other people's work, I am a student and when I write about electricity, solar power, generators or other subjects based on my experience, I become a teacher … 😂. When someone comments on my article and introduces a different perspective, I become a student again … ☺. That cycle keeps repeating: Read>think> write>engage>learn. It's amazing.
“TOWN SQUARE” CONNECTION
Recent discovery has made my Hive experience even more enjoyable: I discovered that what was formerly known as the Ecency Community has been renamed “Town Square”. This new name actually makes sense. Town Square is a general-topic community where people can share ideas, stories, projects, photographs, questions, creativity and many other kinds of content; it's described as a space for open conversations and everything in between. That suits someone like me perfectly because as a retiree from the 9-to-5 pattern, I may choose to write about electricity today and switch to something I have learned tomorrow. With over 11,000 members, “Town Square” is certainly an excellent neighbourhood; I'm happy to belong here. I consider myself entering a large “digital town” where people from different parts of the world gather, exchange ideas and tell their stories.
MORE THAN EARNING REWARDS
Let me say this: Hive has a reward system; receiving rewards for good content is encouraging. Ecency has its own points system and tools that can help creators promote their work but for me, the greatest reward has gradually become something else. I have found something I enjoy doing after many years of working 9-to-5. The day I retired, my thoughts was, “What next?”; fortunately, Hive has helped me answer that question. I can wake up and have something to research. I can discover something worth writing about. I can read what others have written. I can participate in conversations. I can improve my writing. I can share the knowledge I have accumulated over the years. And I can do all these things from the comfort of my home. That is a wonderful form of retirement.
MY ELECTRICITY SERIES WILL CONTINUE
Those who follow my writing may wonder why I am writing an article about Hive when most of my recent articles have been about electricity, generators and solar power. The answer is simple: my electricity series is not ending; it is only taking a short break so that I can express my feelings about Hive. I intend to continue writing about electricity generation and utilisation, particularly from the practical Nigerian perspective. There are still many important topics to discuss:-
#Hive #Ecency #Retirement #Writing #Reading #life #neoxian #learning
