unnecessary

I'm told that when you retire, you realize that you are no longer necessary. For some people, this is devastating, but it is also a possibility for liberation. For when we realize we are unnecessary, we also realize that this has always been the case. None of us is necessary. The sooner we embrace this, the sooner we can begin to understand the fact that we are a gift, and the sooner we realize that, the sooner we can begin to act as a gift--to give ourselves to others, not in some 'relevant' way but in the authentic and unique way that is who we are--not what others want us to be for them.