First Blog

     Aging is a natural part of life – for the lucky.   In the centuries of literature have been multiple interpretations of what this means and what it implies. In earlier chapters of this set On Aging , we celebrated aging as the once and glorious time of life, a time for celebration and reflection, with deep quotes about the process, and with humor – a natural response to a natural process.    This note reflects upon the darker side of aging, that of vulnerability .    As you age…     Few have the resources to continue on as though nothing’s happened, to regard ourselves as immune from age, to feel that old sense of immortality, to keep the unbounded optimism of youth, or to have that wonderful fellowship with our community.   Age happens.   The facts of limited engagement, diminishing strength, and attenuated energy cannot be denied.   Many are fortunate to have a kindred soul to help us, as in the 1961 British movie title, “Carry On, Regardless.”   But…     the curr

Depth, humor, and politics, all have their perspectives in aging.  We need them surely.  Another facet of this great time is the clarity of vision. Or wisdom.  This is a time when we can see more clearly than ever - despite wearing glasses.  This is a time when the world becomes clear, void of the blur and emotions of youth, the confusions of achievement, and the abstractions of thought. Our vision becomes as simple as when we were children. This is not to say we are checking out or coming to a finality. It is to say this is a time when we can cut away the fog of all that heavy living.  Some achieve this from the beginning.  We never understood them; they were discounted as out of touch.  But in fact they were fully engaged with the depth of life as we could not comprehend it.  We do now.  We have returned to fundamental principles of life, and like me, have returned late in the game. It is a time for religion, for family, for politics, for fishing, for traveling, for sewing, for

Humor is a near unique aspect of humans that leaves untouched just about every endeavor, every aspiration, and every desperation we have.   Not the least of these is aging.   While in Part I of this note on aging we reflected on the majesty and melancholy of aging, here we look at the humor.   Most speak to some aspect of youth when viewed from the lens of age.   Each speaks for itself, comments are not needed.    There are hundreds of published quotes online and in print.   Selected here are some of the very funny ones from notable people - all current graduates of that select club.         The older I get, the better I was. - Henry Louis Mencken     Do not regret growing old; many are denied the privilege. - Ogden Nash     Forty is the old age of youth; fifty is the youth of old age. - Victor Hugo       It's paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn't appeal to anyone. - Andy Rooney     You don't st

I am what I am. I work out, I travel, I write, I teach and research, do a lot of computing, and importantly I continually plan for the future.  But for many, many years I do recall thinking about aging, its processes, and watching others age. Aging has been on my mind; I guess it’s always been on my mind. A good question is “How do we age?” How about bitterly, regretfully, remorsefully, disgustingly, gracefully, joyfully, disappointingly, philosophically, or wisely? Millions upon millions, blessed with the arrival of old age, have penned their thoughts, their ideas, and their wisdom upon aging. In this note we take up sayings and aphorisms on growing old from many luminaries past and present, then add commentaries. There are numerous categories about aging. They range across (a) Physical aspects (conditioning and fitness, aches and pains, activity), (b) Mental aspects (memory, intelligence, interests, sense of humor), (c) Financial (costs), (d) Death (preparation, last will), and R