Friday, June 09, 2006
Ever notice how the perception of age changes drastically with death? Someone dies at age 35, and everyone laments about how young he/she was. But somewhere else in the world, some other 35-year-old, well alive and kicking, is feeling depressed after yet another birthday, at the resounding echo of his imaginary ticking clock.
It's tragic, of course, to have your life ended abruptly; to not have another few decades to make plans and live life. The comparison is between two extremes, but it illustrates the point.
Yes, growing older is frightening. But shouldn't we acknowledge that being able to flip yet another page of a calendar as a good thing? I think you're only as old as you feel. Maybe I'm idealistic in that sense - or perhaps just deeply in denial of impending senior citizenship.
Honestly I don't feel old, like most of my peers think they are. I'll be turning 21 in about 5 months, and it's amazing how quickly the time between birthdays passes. Perhaps that will be the watershed of this belief, but I'd like to trust otherwise.