Oops!

..".if you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all..." - Thumper's Law. On my way home from the office one day, I encountered a man with whom I shared the back seat of a taxi. He made a statement about an older colleague of his. Hear him: "I don't know what a man of fifty is doing still working. He should have retired because he can't contribute anything meaningful to his organisation again." At first I thought he was thinking aloud, however, he looked at me and asked: "Sir, what do you think"? It is not in my character to barge into other people's discussion, not to talk of responding to words which echo their inner thoughts and feelings of frustration. However, since he was curious to have my opinion on his thoughts, I obliged him. I asked him: "Sir, are you saying by the time you're fifty you won't have anything meaningful to contribute to your company again"? He squirmed uncomfortably in his seat and mumbled something incoherent. So suddenly, the chicken has come home to roost