Hard work doing something mundane or seen as to make ends meet sucks. Working hard at something you think is valuable for you and others is a different thing perhaps. Most jobs are pretty useless. 

>Of course, he's not as active now, compared to his 20s or even a decade ago, but he's still involved, he's the one who's still at the helm.

We all slow down and eventually break down, but it doesn't mean we have to sit and rust til the end :)