The gift of aging is that things finally start to make sense.
Thoughtful reflections on the virtues of seniority.
Looking and feeling young are qualities we aspire to. People go to great lengths to maintain their youth in hopes of looking and feeling better. It’s easy to understand how we got here as a society.
Many of us are captivated by the child prodigy who figured out life’s illusive secrets at a young age, or the 20-year old billionaire whose start-up went public seemingly overnight. NBA stars who are drafted as young adults, Olympians who’ve been training in their respective fields since childhood and teenaged musicians who’ve hit it big after their new single goes viral on social media. Most relatedly, let’s not forget our fellow classmates who excelled in high school and college leading us to believe that a future of promise and prosperity was set in stone.
The Pitfalls of Youth
The biggest downside to this admiration of youth is that we don’t get to make out the full picture of life in its proper context. We often don’t have the foresight to see past our problems, which can seem insurmountable when young. However, with time, experience and some luck we can begin to see the truth.
...
The Truth...
The Pitfalls of Youth
We’ve yet to learn that things are not always as they seem. We often miss the loneliness that accompanies some of our most celebrated contemporaries when the spotlight wanes and reality resumes.
Your favorite picture-perfect celebrities and socialites, the popular kids from your high school, your college roommate who went to the league—with time, you’ll begin to see how their lives play out and with that perspective you’ll finally have context in relation to those you’ve admired.
Experiencing their successes and failures is important because the lessons learned will hit home much harder than the stories of people you’re vaguely familiar with. These personal examples of triumph and defeat are harder to dismiss.
The Gift of Aging
Appreciating time is a virtue....
The Upsides of Experience
Aging is just another word for living...
...
With their empirical stories in mind, you’re now in a better position to apply the insights gained and adjust your trajectory accordingly. It’s now cliche to learn that the high school superstar peaked there and resigned themselves to a respectable, but mundane life away from the spotlight. We’ve all heard of the childhood celebrity who’s 15 minutes of fame couldn’t carry them into adulthood. Too often, we hear about the one-time pro athlete who swiftly went broke after retiring from the league.
We need time to witness the full story of life. We need to be able to watch this movie until the end. Too often we resign ourselves to the highlight reels of others.
Most people don’t openly promote their shortcomings, but time reveals all if you’re paying attention. The gift of aging is that things finally start to make sense. If we can stick around long enough, the mysteries of life’s most revered will unravel before our eyes.
As prophesied by indigenous cultures in a popular adage, “What the old can see sitting down, the young may never see - even from the height of the tallest tree.”
WORDS BY
INTERACTION DESIGNER
OBI ANAZODO