By DSFP Candidate, Bill Ang (Arts & Social Sciences, ’86)

A few weekends ago, I had the privilege of speaking at the DSFP Human Library session during NUS120 Homecoming 2025, in my capacity as an NUS Distinguished Senior Fellowship Programme (DSFP) candidate. Standing before alumni, students and peers, I shared my reflections on planning for life’s third act.

Too often, retirement is treated as an endgame — a time when work winds down, routines shrink, and horizons narrow. But I see it differently.

For me, the third act is not retirement at all. It is the pursuit of freedom.

When people hear that, they often nod. Retirement and freedom sound like natural companions: freedom from alarm clocks, from endless meetings, from the daily grind.

Yet in reality, many who retire feel restless, uncertain or constrained by circumstances they hadn’t anticipated.

That’s why I’ve learned to flip the script. Freedom doesn’t arrive automatically at retirement - it has to be built, rehearsed, and lived into.

And I’ve come to understand that true freedom rests on four parts that must play together: financial, physical, social, and purposeful freedom.

I call them The Freedom Quartet.

The Freedom Quartet

Like any good quartet, each part is distinct, but the harmony comes when they’re played together.

Financial freedom is the bass line. It doesn’t grab attention, but it grounds everything else. Too often, we stop the conversation here - thinking only in terms of CPF balances, pensions, or investment returns. But real financial freedom isn’t just accumulation. It’s transforming money from tether to tool. Once money stops dictating identity and becomes an enabler, it creates room for choices - to explore, contribute, or even take risks without fear. The bass hums steadily beneath the music, holding it up.

Physical freedom is the rhythm. It sets the tempo, giving energy and movement to life. Longevity experts talk about the “100-year life,” and if we’re fortunate enough to live it, health can’t be left to chance. For me, physical freedom isn’t about marathons or six-packs. It’s about maintaining the capacity to say yes: to travel, to meet new people, to sing on stage, to keep learning. The rhythm doesn’t need to be flashy - it just needs to keep the beat strong and steady.

Emotional (social) freedom is the melody. This is what we hum when the music is over - the voices, harmonies, and warmth of human connection. None of us thrive in isolation, no matter how strong or independent we think we are. With age comes clarity: some relationships drain us, others energise us. Social freedom is the choice to surround ourselves with those who lift us up, who bring curiosity and laughter, who turn the everyday into something memorable. Without melody, music feels cold. Without connection, freedom feels hollow.

Finally, purpose freedom is the lyric. It’s what gives the music its meaning. Work may end. Roles may shift. Titles fade. But purpose doesn’t retire. A life rich in money, health, and friendships still risks feeling unmoored without something larger to contribute to. Purpose is the through-line - the words that give shape and story to the music. Without it, the other notes may sound fine, but they don’t move us.

The Role of the Fellowship

The DSFP has been instrumental in helping me strengthen the melody and the lyric - the social and purpose freedoms.

Through the programme, I’ve been able to connect with peers who are thoughtful, wise and generous in sharing their perspectives. I’ve also stayed plugged into the creative ferment of university life, where diverse voices and fresh questions continually challenge me to stretch.

Purpose doesn’t always show up in grand, sweeping gestures. Sometimes it hides in a mentorship conversation, a project brainstorm, or even in a seminar room filled with questions, as at the Homecoming.

These moments remind me that the third act is not a step back. It’s a step into a wider ensemble - one where different generations, disciplines, and experiences play together to create something richer.

A Question from the Next Generation

During the Q&A, a student from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy asked:

“Boomers call us the strawberry generation. How can Gen Z build resilience?”

The room hushed. A few chuckled. It was the kind of question heavy with stereotypes.

My answer: drop the labels. Every generation faces its own struggles. The post-independence generation dealt with challenges very different from today’s hyper-digital, climate-uncertain world. But resilience is not a generational monopoly - it’s a universal human practice.

Resilience doesn’t come from avoiding hardship. It comes from engaging with it, from showing up and participating in life. The struggles forge the growth. Just as music needs tension and resolution, resilience is built through dissonance before harmony.

The “strawberry” image suggests fragility. But when I look at how young people navigated the pandemic, climate anxiety, or economic shifts, I don’t see fragility - I see adaptability. The melody may sound different, but the strength is there.

Freedom is Composed, Not Awaited

As I step into my third act, I no longer see freedom as something that simply arrives with age. Freedom is composed - note by note, choice by choice.

The Freedom Quartet reminds me that a rich life is not just one bass note, or one rhythm, or one tune. It’s the interplay of all four: the grounding of finance, the vitality of health, the warmth of connection, and the meaning of purpose. Together, they create music worth living.

So here’s my invitation to you: as you think about your own next act - whether it’s the second, the third, or just beginning - ask yourself, which part of your quartet needs tuning? Because when all four parts play together, freedom doesn’t just exist. It resounds.

Curious about how the DSFP can help you rediscover your purpose and shape your third act? Join us for the DSFP Preview on the evening of 17 Nov 2025 (Mon) at NUS Kent Ridge where you can meet the DSFP cohort and hear more about their experiences with the programme. Visit our website to sign up for the Preview and download the DSFP brochure.