There's a great car restoration business near us. The sole proprietor is in his late 70s and refuses to take on any apprentice. Says he refuses to train his competition. Sad that all those years of experience and skill will go to waste.
For somebody in their 70s, a more productive viewpoint would be to be passing on a legacy. Even with a long healthy life, competition should no longer be a big concern.
“Go to waste” is such a weird way to think about a 5 decade career.
He has so much skill he could pass on but refuses. That's a waste for the car restoration community.
Five decades is either trivial or enough time to contribute back to society.
For most of human history, refusing to pass down your skills to the next generation was seen as a profound moral failure. A waste is putting it lightly and emblematic of the individualism of the times.